Lightning
by KitKat Roar
Summary: Edward Cullen had thought he had lived and seen it all but a revisit to Forks has brought him to new mysteries and experiences that he could never have imagined. There are greater threats than vampires, deeper bonds than imprints and humans... are not always the prey. Confusion, love and new friendships as he discovers what he missed out as a teenager, against the Twilight canvas
1. Chapter 1

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The rain fell heavily, indiscernible through the dark but she could hear it. Cindy clutched herself, the cold seeping into her bones and mingling with the dread she felt. She shivered lightly and peeped up at Doctor Cullen.

She was anxious; he stood composed with his eyes trained to the dark night.

"It's about to arrive" he told her ominously and she looked back out to the wet darkness and saw nothing.

A moment went by, and through the terrifying sound of the storm she made out a sirens crying. The frantic red lights of an ambulance peeled through the dark and not long, a second ambulance was behind it. She unclutched herself and began to shiver insistently; she knew it was no longer just the cold. There had never been a serious emergency since she had started working at Forks General.

The ambulance pulled up in front of them and Doctor Cullen-who was still brand new to Forks-took charge with ease. She assisted him silently over the panic and loud voices, through the thunder; on the strainer was Billy Black, and all over Billy Black was blood.

"My wife…" Billy's usually deep russet skin was pale, his usually rich voice feeble. The eyes that Cindy had always thought to be piercing were unfocused; he looked like an old man badly injured about to die…

They pushed him through the wide corridor, a few nurses that caught glimpse of who had been in the horrendous crash gasped.

"Cindy, can you do this?" Doctor Cullen asked her seriously. Tears were in her eyes, she hadn't let them fall but her hands were clutching Billy's larger worn hands. She chocked back a gasp, Billy had gone unconscious. She looked up at Dr Cullen and met his strange eyes and nodded shakily.

"First surgery, yes…" she breathed "I would have liked…" she stopped, shaking her head "No, not liked… but, I mean…"

"Not someone you know" he finished. "Well, today you get to save the life of someone you know… how about that?"

He gave her a small smile, she returned it and let go of Billy's hands. She closed her eyes but she could still see the black bag that had been pulled out from the other ambulance.

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She had lived in Forks since she had been a teenager. It was a huge contrast to Texas, an even bigger juxtaposition to what she had been rescued from. The past has a way of sneaking back, Cindy thought. The house was quiet except for the whirring of the refrigerator. She only had the kitchen light on and she hadn't drunk her tea as yet. The heat from the cup was soothing. The silence and darkness in the living room peaceful.

She closed her eyes and saw everything. With a sigh, she brought the tea to her lips.

Billy Black would never walk again, she thought. She felt ashamed for her worries before that evening. She felt so selfish it wrecked her core; her and her mother had escaped the abuse of her father when they had left Texas.

But they had left others to it.

Couldn't be helped, Cindy thought but that little feeling of selfishness came back into her heart; she would have liked the peace their escape had brought to have remained forever but the reminder of that hell slept upstairs, worn out from its own escape from Thomas Nebari; her cousin, Danielle.

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I opened my eyes slowly.

The blankets were over my head, tucked around me. I was cocooned in darkness. I was almost afraid to let out the breath inside my chest; relief could be sin. Relief could be my undoing but it passed between my lips and my chest rose and fell wearily.

All I could hear was silence and once again, I feared the relief this brought. I feared emerging from my cocoon; I could still be shattered, I could be blown away into a miserable nothingness…

But I pushed the blankets down. The ceiling was smooth, a light piece hung from its center. I remembered it easily although it was hidden in the dimness now, it was pretty. It had twirling designs and purple wisps. When the light was on, the whole roomed seemed to be covered in an enchanted bliss.

I listened hard, I heard the silence and felt the quiet but still the memory of Thomas' rage roared through it.

It's funny how fresh a memory can be; even now, as I moved my tongue over my lower lip, I could taste the blood … I could taste it, I could feel the dull pain from his strike, and my body was moving through the air…

"Dani?" it was Cindy, in the background of my memory. She knocked on the door, twice and I remained silent. The door opened and she stepped into the dimness.

"Dani, are you awake?" she said again and I had to answer her.

"Yes" my voice cracked.

I couldn't only see her outline and she wouldn't be able to see my face. I hoped she wouldn't switch the light on, as pretty as it was… I wasn't really something to be looked at right now. She moved to the curtains and I was afraid again, would she open them? Would she look at me _that_ way like she had when she picked me up from the bus station?

"I have to go to work and you have to go to school… like we talked about" she said. The curtains were not opened and she walked out of the room without a goodbye.

This didn't sit well with me for so many reasons but as I listened through the quiet and heard her car drive out, relief crept in again; she hadn't told me to go back to my grandmother and Thomas… and that was all that mattered in the present. She had got me into school… she was helping me.

That was all that mattered.

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My body aches, the hot shower soothing.

The sound of the water is not relaxing, I want the silence back. Dead silence, no noise; just my heart beat. I want to be able to hear him coming… would his feet fall in tune with my heart?

The shower had to come to an end. The space is filled with mist. I clear the foggy mirror with the edge of my hand and there I am.

Blue eyed, brown skinned disaster.

My sleep had been restless; nightmares and recollections; Thomas' anger and those red eyes I had seen in the club. I had wanted to be normal, a night out but of course I should have listened to my social anxiety in that moment… stay home, watch Thomas get drunk… don't sneak out like any normal sixteen year old. Stay home, stay hidden…

I could see the man from across the dance floor, through the mingling bodies; I could see him seeing me, looking at me like I had never been looked at before. Looking right at me, through me… seeing me, with those red eyes.

School would be a welcome distracton.

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X

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It felt like I would reach eternity's close seated in this godforsaken cafeteria.

I wanted to be freed from this purgatory, I wanted to just die and be swallowed by hell if only to be away from it all. The guilt I felt craving such an end equaled my disdain at finding myself back in the life of a teenage boy.

Teenagers, you see, were possibly the worst kind of human. They leaked hormones all over the place and their thoughts, their _nasty_ thoughts…

This generation had possibly the worst and the most depraved minds of all the generations I had been cursed and forced to pass through. But nothing could be done of it as the circle of immortality went on, and here I was… lost in the chatter and smell of teen drama…

 _He always looks bored… and yummy…._

Jessica, a hyper active girl's unpleasantly familiar stream of thoughts perforated the numbing hum of telepathic noise. The lust she felt disgusted me and the shame I felt at having such a sentiment to a child, for she was but a child, equaled that disgust. At times I thought it could not be helped, it was what we were; a tainted drug to them, calling to their sensibility and virtue. A Venus fly trap, an alluring damnation…

At times I thought I may not fully understand it either; for I saw it around me in different doses; _lust_ -and yet the concept of it was somewhat understood. I listened in on her thoughts, curious a little; I looked her way. Her mind was a flurry of _feeling_ ; fair skin, my imagined warmth and my hair in her hands.

Hmm, we would be dripping in your blood, Jessica.

"You too?" Jasper sighed. He had a hard time with the thirst and, after momentarily feeling my own wave of it, sought solace in being reminded that we were all damned. Some of us simply put off the fact a few weeks longer than others.

I smiled my support, redirecting my focus to picking at the bread before me.

There truly was an aspect I had not understood on what the _Jessica's_ of the world saw; Lust and Attraction had seemed simple for so long but the concept of it eluded me trying to connect what the prey was drawn to and what drew one to love…

Was love a predator?

I had been plucked too early from this lesson and not by the damnation of vampirism; my own mortal ambitions had consumed me, as frivolous as they now appeared before me… in retrospect. Lust could be a good sort of distraction or an evil one, possibly useless too… but a distraction nonetheless from dreaming of hell.

It could explain Rosalie's happiness in finding Emmett…

I surprised my siblings when I let out a chuckle, a questioning eyebrow raise from Alice; even with the anomaly of immortality, I took the trophy of _freak_.

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I envied them.

Sitting in this pathetic gymnasium; it is all I can think about. Having a set time and moving around with no thought to every action-it is all I want. It is my third week at Forks High, the second time I have been in this little town in two human lifetimes… and I can't say I appreciate the new changes.

If there were giant wolves I could move about with a little fear; a little more emotion to everything. If there were humans who still believed in the old tales of men and women…? I could have more than admiring looks filled with lust. I could have suspicion and doubt. I could have _excitement._

 _Is he doing okay?_

I nod once; a slow movement that could have easily been contempt to my surroundings but Alice understands. Jasper is barely managing but I have no idea why they want to _test_ him. It is possible that he won't ever have it in control as we do. It is possible that he may need to feed a little more.

 _Edward Cullen_

Reflex reaction. I turned to the sound of my name being called, though it wasn't being called just thought. It was Mike Newton who had decided to find interest in me, although with more venom than was his usual tenor.

He was telling two new girl-yes, they were the reason the 'Cullen interest' levels had dropped-about us, before pointing us out and before as was normal for human girls, they had been _taken_.

I met Mike's eyes and he quickly looked down, whispering hurriedly to the one girl, "Bunch of snobs. They think they are better than everyone because they are rich. Well, my dad owns a chain of…"

I couldn't help but chortle, taking a look at the girls who had almost caused me to inadvertently ruined his day. My eyes locked with brown eyes. The girl was pale, with deep brown hair. She blushed furiously, her hand absently going for that long hair and playing with a strand.

 _God, Cullen can't just lay off for a second. All the girls are in love with him…has to give others a chance man_

"Bella" Mike said slightly irritably "Do you play any sports?"

"Uhm…" Bella stammered "No"

I hadn't noticed that I had been staring at the girl or her staring at me until I heard Eric Norton's internal groaning. I tore my eyes from the girl and met Norton's own pale boring blue ones for a second. I quickly directed my eyesight back to my invisible patterns on the wall. My sudden shock had been too quick for the two humans to notice but Alice had noticed.

She gave me a questioning look and I shook my head slowly. If the others were here they would have questioned my sanity but Alice and I looked out for each other. The two freaks among freaks. Hearing thoughts and having visions of the future was not considered normal even with vampires.

 _I hope she isn't already crushing on the Cullen freak, God she is so_ **hot**.

My shock intensified as I tried to block out the thoughts of those around her; I couldn't hear a thing.

 _What's wrong…?_ Alice asked and I saw my puzzled expression in her mind.

"Nothing" I said softly, trying to scan through the girls thoughts again but this time encountering a low humming sound similar to the sound one gets when stuck between two frequencies on a radio. A white noise but it wasn't coming from Bella's completely mute mind. I had to look up now, my insides clenching in fear; _what was this?_

The other new girl, whom everyone had forgotten about, had slinked away from Bella, Mike and Eric and was standing on her own. Her head was bowed, her arms wound over her front.

"Alright, everybody…" the coach says, arriving late "Badminton today!"

"I see everyone has managed to get some rackets" he looked around at everyone, ignoring the fact that not everyone had followed instructions.

"Let's…" he begun looking around at the bodies crowded unwillingly around him. _Keep this interesting and quiet. Put these kids in different pairings…_

"Hi…"he said, peering at the girl with a strange mind as she tried to hide behind Angela Weber. "You are new… right?"

She nodded once, looking around at the curious stares and shifting further behind Angela.

"Daniella…right?" he asked, squinting at the register in his hand.

"Danielle" the girl murmured, too low for even Angela Weber to hear her and she was right by Angela's ear. Too low for human hearing but I caught her low husky voice.

 _She has interesting eyes, right_ Alice thought, watching me as I stared at the girl. I looked away quickly, smiling a little to Alice and trained my gaze on the floor instead. What was going on with these girls?

"Danielle and…Isabella" he held the register up in the air "Can you two come to the front and lets partner you up" Coach Robson put his register down and motioned for them to hurry forward.

"We need to sever some of these _noisy_ pairings" he muttered to himself. "You kid's need to get out of your comfort zone"

Isabella had a lot of people smiling eagerly at her. I couldn't tell if she was happy at this or not; her mind silent and her eyes sneaking glances at me. I felt like if I could pierce through her eyes I would hear something, but all I got from that was further hatred from Mike Newton.

Coach Robson caught my staring of Isabella and snickered to himself. _Cullen with the girl, Pricilla says the kids a "know it all"… bet he knows how to play…_

"Right, Edward Cullen" he murmured, looking up at me uneasily. It always bothered me how the teachers felt they had to say our names with the inclusion of the surname… I already knew where he was heading with this so I moved forward, towards the girl… who was not Isabella and had the grating white noise layered over thoughts. I felt as though Isabella was somehow the bigger problem in all this mental mystery.

"Partner up with Daniella over there" he said, looking down his register again and began randomly selecting names. The children snickered at his lack of effort with the new girls name and she frowned again. All I saw from her mind was the image of me frowning as I walked towards her; but this was a first step. The white noise was silencing.

We walked in silence to one side of the gym, her following me and we awaited the arrival of our Badminton foes.

A fleeting image of termites eating the wood of the gymnasium flipped easily through her mind-imagined termites I suspected and then a sad wistful tone. That was all it was-a tone with no actual voice-like a silent movie that was only dictated by a skilled orchestra.

I could vaguely hear Alice's shouting…internally…at her irritation at being split up by the coach. I couldn't be bothered to console her right now, Danielle looked up at me; her eyes a startling blue against her dark brown skin.

She looked terrified.

 _He reminds me…_ it had been the first worded sound in her mind but it was short lived as the scratching sound hid her thoughts before flinging a memory of _red eyes._ She missed the birdie and I caught it, tossing it easily back to our opponents.

It was my turn to be terrified.

She shook the memory away and concentrated on the game as best she could-I tried to do the same but the panic in me was prominent. Her thoughts mellowed, growing clearer but void of words; she dispelled her fear and soon-somehow, she forgot the red eyes and played badminton alongside me in silence.

I watched her furtively as she flung her racket with disdain; not caring to run for the little plastic ball. She was frowning in the end, squinting her eyes slightly and sighing.

At the end of P.E, she all but ran out while rubbing her temple and complaining of a headache.

"Don't you have an art class to get to?" I asked Alice absently before she could badger me on what was wrong.

"I do, don't I" she sighed, very suspicious. "When one can draw like Da Vinci…"  
"Almost like Da Vinci" I tried to laugh but everything was wrong and she shot me a questioning look but skipped off to her art class without another word.

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	2. Chapter 2

Biology would have been my favorite subject…if I had not done it a million and one times already. It felt completely implausible for one to be sitting in this fundamental of fundamentals biology class when one possessed a PhD in medicine… or when there was girl who had seen a red eyed vampire and had subconsciously linked me to it.

I was sure she didn't know what it was she had seen; she had also readily dispelled her fear of me. The very make up of a vampire is predatory but I felt as though I would fidget. I had forgotten the sensation for so long; unease.

Should I have told Alice? Should I alert my family… what was I to do?

Stay calm until I knew everything.

Biology was boring enough on most days and if this really was nothing, I could change to Art and be in Alice's company and freed from further misery. I plotted away, simultaneously obsessing over the two girls but my plans fell away when Isabella walked through the door.

She smiled coyly at me and I eyed her; already thinking on how I could reel her in and pick her brain apart when her scent wafted over to me as she moved past the fan…

Every thought I had in my infinite vampire mind zoned into one lane; a single deadly thread; _blood._ She saw it on my face, she had been staring and I did not have nearly enough time or restraint to control it. She blanched and gripped her bag and I was left gripping the table for fear of flinging myself at her. I stared ahead, but my throat roared alive and with it the _damned_ monster…

It roared. _We_ roared. The thirst was scorching, I was burning under it; I could hear her heart beat thudding; a little faster, she was anxious surely of what she had seen in my eyes… the deadly love I had for her death.

What could come of this? Could this be helped; could I stop myself? _WHY_ …. The monster purred.

In a second I had counted every child in the room, scanning the classroom. I met Isabella's eyes and all but grinned at her.

The teacher was talking, teaching and I was plotting. The wood beneath the table had fallen to chips on the flood from when I had gripped the table. I pretended to pay attention, as was easy for me and any other vampire; pretending to be human.

But beneath the façade I plotted; she was the sweetest scent I had ever smelt. She was my _singer_ and I would have her. The deaths of these children would be on her, I couldn't wait to have her walking out and away from me. It had to be done.

Death would come.

I would start by locking the door; I could rise up calmly as if to ask to go to the toilet and then click, door locked. I would be rid of the teacher, I could just snap her neck; I didn't want to drink any blood before the doomed girl's sweet blood.

I wouldn't taint its saccharinity… oh it would be so sweet, dripping on my tongue, hot and steaming. A bouquet. I could start from the left, those closest to the door. Snap, snap,snap…

My horrendous trance is interrupted when the door opens and Danielle stumbles in.

The teacher paused her dictating and gave Danielle an annoyed look.

"I got lost" Danielle lied. Her thoughts-I had forgotten all about the dilemma I had had with the mental mystery-were somewhat clearer. She had been in the girls toilet crying.

"Well, you can sit next to Edward Cullen" the teacher instructed.

Danielle said nothing to this and came over to my table unwillingly; she didn't like me one bit, I realized now. Pre-judgement in her thoughts, all thought on how I was connected to the red eyed man she had once seen gone too.

I was a spoilt rich boy, as far as she was concerned.

The moment she sat down on the stool, throwing her bag onto the table in disdain, I stopped breathing. I was going insane; I had stopped breathing to stave off the thirst when a moment ago I was inhaling debauchedly and imagining Isabella's blood searing my tongue.

A book was placed in front of her by the teacher, and I was expected to explain what we had covered and get her up to date. I couldn't do this, my throat was parched and my hands had gone back to gripping the table; no one would be killed, I realized, as I leaned in for the book automatically in the next second, careful not to touch her in any way. Humans were uncomfortable with our coldness. I listened keenly for any sound she would make in her mind, this pulling me from my murderous intentions before she had walked into the classroom and I was rewarded tenfold for my efforts. A more distinct mental tone and formulated sentence. She was just a girl…

… _freesia with a hint of lavender and an underlying scent of the rain_.

Her thoughts started getting fuzzy, but before they were obscured from me I managed to piece together their flavor. She was noticing how I smelt. ..

 _Not cologne…scent…weird_

She had just smelt my _scent._ This was almost impossible but maybe I was actually close enough for her to do this. Humans did tend to notice each other's personal scents. I focused on her thoughts to distract from my own, that white noise in her mind started to get louder.

"Stop it" she whispered.

I backed away from her, wondering if she knew I had intruded in her mind. She was holding her head up in her hands and appeared to be in pain. She glanced at me once and lightly smiled. She hadn't known I had heard her thoughts I concluded. She had been chastising herself probably, but _why?_ She frowned again, peering at me uneasily before smiling, once again timidly.

A feeling crept up inside me and I didn't understand it.

I peeked at her and saw that she was now grimacing in pain, her brow furrowed and nostrils flaring slightly.

"Headache" she muttered-mostly to herself as before but a little to me. I wanted to say something but I was afraid; of killing everyone… of the very words that I would produce; as though they would undo this reality and I would, indeed, be drenched i blood with Isabella's blood coloring my eyes and poor Danielle… dead.

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I was in my Volvo, my fingers tapping impatiently against the steering wheel at an inhumane tempo. I wanted to get home immediately. I had contemplated leaving the car keys on top of the left-front tyre- Alice would find them naturally. I could cut through the forest, change my clothes when I arrived at the house and inform Esme I was leaving early for hunting…I could go to Alaska quietly.

The three passenger doors opened simultaneously and my four siblings piled into the car.

"Edward, why did I see you standing us up at school?" asked Alice from behind my seat.

"Yeah dude, we had to rush here. Alice said there was a possibility we would have to call Carlisle to get us…for appearance sakes" Emmett added. He was seated in shot gun, as usual, and had a quizzical expression on his face.

I rolled my eyes lightly but internally I was having a panic attack, if that were possible for vampires.

"I want to go hunting early" I replied to both of them, keeping my eyes on the road unnecessarily.

"So you ditch us?" Rosalie hissed.

"You're in the car aren't you?"

"Only because Alice saw you before…"

"If you weren't stopping to check if every reflective surface conveyed your beauty accurately Rosalie, then…"

"Guys, cool it. Let's just forget it ok." Emmett sighed, fearing another epic Edward versus Rosalie battle.

I could still hear her thoughts of course and this had me gripping at the steering wheel so tightly it would have bent if it weren't titanium. Rosalie had boosted my car a few years back when we were on good terms.

The others thoughts were not about my selfish arrogant and inconsiderate ways, these were reserved by Rosalie. But I found myself frowning at how their thoughts had gone to question my mental wellbeing.

 _Can't be normal, living on animal blood AND not having a mate… of course he would behave this way_

Jaspers thoughts were mixed up over my lack of mate and living on animal blood for much longer than he did. I was ashamed; I couldn't tell them that I had killed an entire classroom in my mind… over one strange girl and the only thing that had stopped me was an even stranger girl. Alice's thoughts trailed off to Tanya and she had me reconsidering going to Alaska in favor of simply speaking to Carlisle; I had wanted to speak to Eleazar.

I knew that no one in my family would want to move from Forks and what had happened to me throughout my day would make a discussion on that very likely. I was already on practically everyone's nerves. Argh.

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	3. Pinnacle

**PINNACLE**

I went outside to stand at the far east of the backyard, by the encroaching forest. Carlisle was a few minutes away and I wanted to leave badly. I tried to keep my thoughts away from the murder I had almost committed, consoling myself that if Alice had seen nothing then maybe… it was not to happen. If Alice had seen nothing, Isabella was something I could handle. I tried to veer my thoughts to something I was accustomed to; logic-but Danielle's eyes kept piercing through that too.

Alice had pointed out her eyes, I recalled in suspicion. Alice had thought nothing further, though. Was I being paranoid at not only having my telepathy thwarted but my control with the blood compromised too… all in one lazy afternoon in boring Forks?

The black Mercedes came around the turn. Carlisle spotted me immediately and opted to park the car outside the garage rather than inside.

 _Why the rush I wonder…maybe he wants to talk…it has been a while._

I smiled at him in response to his thoughts. Maybe I could talk to him about the girls; in more or less the same words. Encountering a singer would not be so much an anomaly but the mental blockages… that was something; he would not know about that, not being a telepath himself but maybe something similar had happened in his stay in Volterra so long ago.

I waited for him as he went in to greet the rest of the family; the added time did nothing for my sanity-I was formulating reasons to be away from the house but not to go to Alaska. I had wanted to run from the problem, from the… fear, I felt. Could it be described as fear? Yes….fear… and something else I couldn't quite understand.

Carlisle emerged in denim jeans and a grey sweater; as the cold didn't bother us at all, he was somewhat overdressed.

"Scared to catch a chill?" I jibed, pointing at his outfit.

 _Esme had it out on the bed._ He chuckled lightly and we made our way through the forest. Carlisle was not the fastest vampire, mostly from lack of interest with the speed vampirism gave but today I wished he was a little more competitive.

"So, how was your day?"

Formalities were Carlisle's specialty but I knew he had been tipped that something had happened at school. The degree of which, only I knew and if Alice had not had a vision-it surely was not any harm to anyone. I wanted to talk about it but I was afraid.

Ashamed.

"It was eventful… today" I said carefully. "high school is monotonous, you will never comprehend just how dreary…" I spoke fast, turning away from him and staring through the trees. "But today… I amost killed an entire classroom because of one girl"

This shocked him. _A singer…? Alice would have warned, surely…. How did he walk away…._

"It was not meant to be" I sighed "Thankfully"

"Thankfully" he reiterated. "You have more control than you give yourself credit"

"No I don't" the dejection in my voice undid the barricade I had formed against thinking deeper, on the 'eventful' day. The shame was crushing. "You see, the girl… I had seen her earlier. She is new to Forks. Isabella Swan"

"The Police Chief's daughter" Carlisle said and I raised an eyebrow. So she wasn't sent from the depths of hell to undo me; she was just the Police Chief's daughter…

"Well, I cannot read her thoughts" I sighed. "Her mind is blank to me"

"Interesting" Carlisle breathed. "Yes, indeed your day was… interesting. Well, the universe was really out to get you then" he smiled "A girl whose mind you cannot read who happens to be your singer. You truly have come a long way…"

I groaned at his praise. I had deliberately stayed clear of Danielle-somehow feeling it would all be too much even for Carlisle to understand but now, with him being in awe at me control and maturity I let slip "I didn't stop myself from killing everyone; a girl pulled me out of the trance, distracted me I suppose"

"It matters not-you overcame and when you share with your siblings, they will understand" he walked slowly over to me, hugging me briefly and holding me in front of him with those proud eyes I had had always loved especially in the earlier years of my vampirism.

In me now, they shook a guilt that lurked deep in my chest; deep in my chest were I had kept the truth of Danielle from him. I didn't know why, couldn't understand it and as much as I wanted to tell him how the girl had smelt my scent and had that coating over her mind, that she had seen a red eyed vampire; I felt… I felt ashamed for not sharing and confessing this… because I knew… I thought, the logical thing Carlisle would advise would be…

That I stay away or worse; _we_ stay away and move.

He saw the misery flash over my face and tried once again to commend me on overcoming, to console my failure at reading Isabella's mind with the fact that humans had latent abilities too; this I had already concluded of Isabella and added with the realization she had simply relocated to Forks to live with her father and not been sent from the depths of hell; well, she was a human girl with a shielded mind.

He saw that the misery remained planted in my eyes and his thoughts veered to dangerous territory; a place that _always_ annoyed me and as much as I enjoyed going to Alaska… Tanya was not a welcome distraction to anything.

"Carlisle, my family is all the companionship I need". I cut him swiftly and turned away from him, pretending to scan for elk and dreading the question he was formulating.

I had to play along in that moment, be the misunderstood son, for in my chest a curiosity was brewing and it demanded to be fed; at least once before I let all matters go on the mental mute girl and the… Danielle.

"Maybe you should take a visit to Alaska…change of scenery?"

No one understood why I didn't accept Tanya's advances. She was beautiful, had strawberry–blonde hair and she followed our strict no human-blood diet. Mostly they all summed it up to me being turned to young. This was something that Carlisle constantly felt bad about.

"Shall we hunt?" I sighed. "I will think about it later on".

Hunting was unsatisfactory. I liked the mountain lions but in my haste I settled for the less appetizing elk.

Carlisle was placing his carcass somewhere were wild animals would find it easy.

"I think I'll take a run…to clear my head" I sighed "It may also be wise for me to be away from school a few days"

"Of course" he smiled, still stuck on the Tanya subject.

With that, I sped off through the forest in the direction of town. I reprocessed the image of the forest I had seen in Danielle's mind, trying to be sure that I found a similar setting.

I found the house after five minutes of anxious searching: I was beginning to fear she lived on the Quileute Reservation. The house was a pale blue standard Forks structure. It seemed in desperate need for repairs and varnishing and would have been uninteresting if I didn't know who lived in it. It was thrumming to me, teasing my curiosity.

The down stairs lights were on, and I could see from where I stood in the shadows of the trees, a woman seated in the kitchen. She was African-American with deep caramel skin and much taller than the girl. She had no real resemblance to the girl aside from eyes that held a vague similarity in shape.

I had hoped seeing a relative and hearing their thoughts would give me a clue about the girl. The woman's thoughts were clear to me, there were no odd sounds and her way of thinking was completely normal. Her eyes were a plain brown; no vivid blue or other worldly life came from them.

I scanned the down stairs area but the girl was not there. None of the upstairs lights were on either. I listened intently, and heard two heart beats-one that belonged to the sister and one that was up stairs. She was asleep.

I closed my eyes and listened to her low steady breathing. I crept closer, remaining in the deep shadows of the trees. If I listened in on her thoughts, I would give her a headache but I was intensely curious about her subconscious. It may hold a clue of vital importance.

I stood still for ten minutes, debating with myself the morality of intentionally prying into her mind and the fear of leaving the proverbial stone unturned and her mystery being forever lost to me.

I heard the sound of a mattress squeaking lightly and a low sigh. Her heart beat had picked up pace and with it, my attention. She was awake.

The light switch was flicked and simultaneously, a yellow light flooded the room from the far corner. It was a bed side lamp she had turned on. She was still in bed. Her room was facing the forest and this would make it easier for me to spy-no, not spy-observe her. I cringed internally at how underhandedly this situation was.

It would be the first time and the last time, I told myself. I would let it go; each to his own secrets.

She got up from her bed and stretched, her arm going behind her head and her one hand fisting and punching into the air. She was still in her clothes from earlier. She must have fallen asleep the moment she reached her room. Had my inability to pull away from her thoughts earlier contributed to her exhaustion; was my telepathy affecting her mind as though she could sense it and her mind took measures to guard it.

Was this her latent ability? But even if I accepted two mental shields living in dreary Forks; something about Danielle was _unambiguously_ … different.

Her eyes were half closed and she moved slowly to her door before disappearing from my sight.

 _Ah, she's up. Finally. She had better enjoy this cheese and mushroom burger…_

She reappeared moments later in the kitchen and greeted her… cousin, it turned out. Cindy. It was very formal from the girl's part and she seemed irritated when Cindy inquired about her day. I leaned against the tree absently as my curiosity got the better of me and the tree groaned against my strength. Would she share with her cousin the biology incident? Did her cousin know about the red eyed 'man'? Would she mention me…?

"Ah, it was okay…could've been worse", she replied softly. I vaguely heard her mental voice pleading that Cindy 'drop it'.

"You are adjusting okay?" Cindy sat opposite Danielle by the kitchen table, her back to the window I was spying… _looking_ through.

I got a memory of a phone call from Danielle, desperately asking Cindy to pick her up at the bus station. It flipped to a worn image of a puffy eyed and bruised Danielle holding herself in the back of Cindy's car. I could see Danielle cringing by the kitchen table. She was picking at her burger absently and occasionally lifting small morsels of the food to her mouth.

"You made any friends?" Cindy prodded.

"They are welcoming" Danielle said instead of answering that "Most of them. There is another new girl there too"

She lifted her head up suddenly, and peered through the darkness from her seat in the kitchen. I stood still, her gaze was in my direction and for a moment I thought she had seen me. I slinked further into the darkness and changed my position so I was more to her left and out of her line of sight.

She stared at the spot I had been for a second more, then shook her head and frowned.

Xx~xx~xX

X

Xx~xx~xX

"You'll be joining us" Rosalie stated; she didn't want any more attention drawn to my absence. Moving towns, states and countries was always harder on Rosalie. She took the human charade more to heart in some ways than the rest of us.

I had taken only a few days off, explaining to my siblings what had happened with Isabella Swan. I had left out the part on Danielle; I was in no danger of murder with Danielle. The confession in itself had given more sympathy to my change in behavior but had the side effect of pulling Alice's psychic focus; she saw Danielle intermittently in her vision but there was no context.

I wondered if it meant I would not be done spying… _observing_ her. I was worried what Alice would think of me-doing something like that; and I had been resolute in not returning to the forest near Danielle's house.

I hadn't but the girl had showed up regardless in Alice's visions but Alice had said nothing to me and decided not to press; although her thoughts on the matter unnerved me.

Everyone made their way to my Volvo, all their thoughts concerned on my return to Forks High-and Isabella Swan; my singer

 _You'll do fine_ Alice assured me as we entered the parking lot.

We were earlier than normal, my restlessness to combat the girls scent and prove my self-control being the main reason. We sat in the car for a few more minutes when I saw a pale blue _old_ Mercedes pull up, and in it holding the steering wheel resolutely was Danielle. I hadn't seen her in over a week and I could not _not_ look at her, watch her.

 _Why is he so interested in her?_

I avoided Alice's gaze and moved to get out of the car. The others caught on and exited. We stood by the car awaiting the school bell. The others were paired up and watched a red truck approach, while I finally managed not to look at Danielle.

 _Sucks to be you_ Emmett offered his usual style of support.

The Swan girl parked next to Danielle's car. Danielle got out of her car especially slowly-to irritate me perhaps, for I was intensely curious to see her. She didn't look up to where I was but stared at the ground, this frustrated me. I wanted to see her face, her eyes and yet I was afraid of them too.

She pressed her foot experimentally on the sleek ground. She wobbled slightly, caught her footing by leaning on her car but this set her legs at an odd angle and she slipped again. She caught the door handle in time and steadied herself up. She glared at the ground as though it had done that on purpose.

I chuckled lightly; she was a rather grouchy soul, I realized.

Alice was watching me but I was having too much fun watching the girl; as if a certain emptiness was being filled at seeing her exist… in this world.

I now understood her slow and cautious behavior; there were ice caps on the road.

She walked slowly around her car; her rucksack slung on her shoulder and went over to stand behind Isabella's truck. She appeared to be waiting for her. Interesting, had they become friends in my absence? Isabella's truck was still on and it jerked slightly back.

"NO!" Alice gasped aloud.

I scanned her thoughts wondering if I was not in as much control as Carlisle had credited me. But her vision had nothing to do with me.

Tyler Smith had chosen to take the turn into the parking lot at a _foolish_ speed. This choice would send him speeding across a patch of ice…

The vision came just half a second before reality. Tyler's van rounded the corner as I was still watching the conclusion that had pulled the gasp from Alice's lips.

No, this vision had nothing to do with me and yet it had _everything_ to do with me, because Tyler's van-the tyres now hitting the ice at the worst possible angle-was going to spin across the lot and crush the girl with the lightning blue-eyes.

Isabella Swan's truck had startled Danielle and she had jumped right into the vans impending path.

Danielle standing in exactly the wrong place at the back of Isabella Swans truck, looked up, bewildered, at the sound of the screeching tyres.

Still locked into Alice's thoughts, I saw the vision suddenly shift, but I had no time to see what the outcome would be.

I moved so fast that everything was a streaky blur except the object of my focus. She saw me move to her-no human eyes would have been able to-but then turned her gaze to the hulking shape that was about to grind her body to the metal frame of the old durable Chevy truck. I launched myself across the lot, throwing myself between the skidding van and Danielle.

I caught her around the waist, moving with too much urgency to be as gentle as she would need me to be. When I heard her head crack against the ice, it felt like I had turned to ice, too.

But I didn't even have a full second to ascertain her condition. I heard the van behind us, grating and squealing as it twisted against the sturdy iron body of the truck. It was changing course, arcing, coming for her again-like she was a magnet pulling it towards us.

I swore through my clenched teeth.

I had already done too much. As I had nearly flown through the air to push her out of the way, I had been fully aware of the mistake I was making. I was not oblivious to the risk I was taking-not just for myself but my entire family.

Exposure.

And this certainly wasn't going to help but there was no way I was going to let the van succeed in its second attempt to take her life.

I dropped her and threw my hands out, the van shuddered and shivered against the unyielding obstacle of my arms, and then swayed, balancing unstably on the two outer tyres.

If I moved my hands, the back tyre was going to fall on her legs.

Oh, for the _love_ of _all_ that was _holy,_ would the catastrophes never end? Was there anything else that could go wrong? I could hardly sit here, holding the van in the air, and wait for the rescue. Nor could I throw the van away-there was the driver to consider.

With an internal groan, I shoved the van away from us and moved the girl to my side-pulling her from under the van.

I let the van drop, now that it could not hurt her. It crashed on the pavement, all the windows shattering in unison. I knew that I was in the middle of a crisis. How much had she seen?

This question should have been my biggest concern but I was too anxious to care about the threat of exposure as much as I should. Too panic-stricken to think that I might have injured her myself, in my attempt to protect her. Too aware of the heat of her soft body, pressed against mine-even through the double obstacle of our jackets.

Her eyes were open wide, staring in shock.

"Danielle?" I asked urgently "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine", she answered automatically-almost chillily.

Relief washed through me but an alarm was ringing in my mind at the _distrust_ and _panic_ in her eyes; she struggled to sit up, but I was not ready to release her and she began to fight against my hold.

"Be careful" I said "I think you hit your head pretty hard".

"Ow" she said, her tone comically shocked as she realized I was right about her head.

"That's what I thought" I smiled, nervous suddenly.

"Let go off me" her voice was cold-a whip. I released her as though she burned and that place in my chest where I had hidden her seemed to quiver in pain "How did you get to me so quickly" she demanded, pushing away from me.

The distrust was in her eyes, hard and resolute and in it was fear too but something else trumped it all and it is that _thing_ that made her brave enough to demand this of me.

Answers to questions she had had before ever meeting me, I skimmed her mind and she touched her head once more.

Now that it appeared that Danielle was in decent shape, the anxiety of my family became apparent.

"I was standing right next to you, Danielle", I knew from experience that if I was confident as I lied, it made any questioner less sure of the truth.

She pushed further away from me, her eyes darker and narroed. I needed to breathe for me to play my role correctly, so the distance was welcomed.

She stared at me and I stared back. Too look away was a mistake only an incompetent liar would make. And I was not an incompetent liar. My expression was smooth; _caring_ even…it seemed to confuse her. That was good. The accident scene was surrounded now.

She tried to get up and I put a hand on her shoulder to restrain her and met her skin, hot. The jacket had slipped off somehow.

"Stay put" I instructed, removing my hand slowly.

"Don't touch me" she hissed. "You are cold"

She blinked, disoriented momentarily and then her eyes focused on my face. "You were over there".

That sobered me from the self-pity of being a _cold vampire_. She glanced to the south, though there was nothing to see but the crumpled van. "You were by your car".

"No I wasn't".

"You were!" her voice was childlike when she was being stubborn, her full lips pouting slightly.

Shouldn't it be easy to keep this silent, secretive girl quiet?

"Please, Danielle", I begged "Let it go"

"Why?"

"Trust me" I pleaded.

"Do you promise to explain everything later?"

"Fine".

The rescue team came under way shortly and the EMTs arrived. I looked around, listening for any thoughts from someone that might have noticed me suddenly appear out of thin air by the girl and juggle a van. I got three distinct thoughts instead; Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie. There would be hell to pay for this.

A familiar, grizzled face appraised me.

"Hey, Edward" Brett Warner said. He was also a registered nurse and I knew him from the hospital. It was a stroke of luck-the only luck today-that he was the first through to us. In his thoughts, he was noting that I looked alert and calm. "You okay kid?"

"Perfect Brett, nothing touched me. But I'm afraid Danielle here might have a concussion. She really hit her head when I yanked her out of the way..."

Brett turned his attention to the girl, who shot me a fierce look of betrayal.

She did not contradict my story either, and this made me feel slightly at ease.

The next EMT tried to persuade me that I should be examined. But it wasn't difficult to dissuade him; I promised I would let my father examine me. With most humans, speaking with cool assurance was all that was needed. Most humans, just not the girl of course. Did she fit into _any_ of the normal patterns?

Danielle was in the back of the EMT as I climbed in the front. I quickly caught Isabella Swan's eye as I entered. The one person who would have noticed my not being there and I couldn't read _her_ mind.


	4. Haunted

**HAUNTED**

 **Xx~xx~xX**

 **x**

"If she was to die, then she was to die!" Rosalie's words were a blunt force against the electrifying fear I felt. "You were not to interfere with the human's fate!"

She was relentless, pacing in front of me and throwing her raged filled eyes at me; no one stopped her; she had to get it out of her system but that was not the only reason; why had I risked so much? I had no right to speak up or defend myself; I had no will or words to counter anything she threw at me.

"What was your concern with that girl?" she spun around and glared at me. Her sentiments echoed through almost everyone's mind "She was right by the Swan girl; _your_ singer! You could have exposed so much more, something much worse could have happened…!"

"Why did you save her?" Alice cut Rosalie, who inhaled a sharp unnecessary breath at that and silenced, wanting to know the answer too. Alice had seen Danielle in multiple visions-mostly the near future, and Danielle had been linked to Isabella; as far as Alice had interpreted.

"I don't know" I began and in a low voice, cutting the tirade that would ensure from Rosalie's lack of satisfaction at that answer, I finished "I just couldn't have her _dead_ "

"Why?!" Rosalie hissed.

Carlisle looked at me closely; saving her was good, he supposed but a huge part of him felt the protection of our family was more important; of our families secret and obscurity not only from humans but from other more dangerous and powerful vampires. He had treated Danielle and had seen from her a strong suspicion; it was not haywire but resolute-she wouldn't go spreading the gospel of her miraculous save or her chivalrous hero, Carlisle thought.

"She doesn't think I am a hero" I banished his empathies. "No hero worship will ensue, trust me"

"Does she know?!" Rosalie gasp.

"No, you misunderstood…" I got up then and moved to the window. It was dark, the night deceptively still and few stars spread out in the sky. "I was curious about her" I tried out the words and they failed to match what lurked inside me when it came to Danielle.

The words fit oddly. Danielle fit oddly. Everything was… strange; terrifyingly so but the fear was stronger at the thought of the girl being dead.

"She has a mental buffer" I confessed, closing my eyes. Their thoughts stung; they felt betrayed.

"Like… Isabella Swan?" Carlisle asked. Even he began to have disbelief in me.

"No… weaker. An awareness if you would" I said softly "But that wasn't all that made me curious… you see, she has latent supernatural abilities"

I shouldn't have told them. I felt powerless in the face of their disbelief; why would I lie? A cry for attention, a play at disrupting the peace they had, the love they had… a need for a mate; depression once more?

I should have kept it to myself but the matter was pressing; I needed to give them something as to why she had been saved.

"What is it to you what she can _supposedly do_?" Rosalie demanded. "Have you and Carlisle not spoken at length of humans having latent abilities? It is nothing out of the ordinary!"

Carlisle mused over what I said and recalled his treatment of Danielle. "It takes us back to the Quileute tribe though, does it not?" he looked to Esme for support-not for his coming theory but of me; I was cornered and they had feared for so long that I would tempted to leave the family.

"She is not Quileute" I said-almost morosely. I almost let slip how Danielle lived far from the Quileute treaty lines or voiced out how she could not possibly have any heritage with the tribe of Old but my own uncertainty began to grow…

"The wolves are gone, surely" Rosalie rolled her eyes not knowing how this insight that time had buried that, brought relief to me. It had been far too long.

Danielle being connected to the wolves would complicate a lot. I didn't know exactly how and the contents of the complications were not ready to be dissected.

"Old tribes or not" Alice chirped "I do not think she is a security risk…"

She winked at me and I frowned at her. I didn't want my dilemma to wind up part of her entertainment as she tended to do with all matters at times; want to fix them and occupy her energies.

 _I bet you can't stay away from this girl…_ she sand, thinking of my rebuff of Tanya and a few other women I had encountered.

"Rose, we are going to be having guests soon" she touched Rosalie's arm and smiled warmly at her sister "This really isn't an issue for _you_. Trust me"

"Hmm" she calmed a little.

"Maybe you should be away from school for a bit" Emmett finally said "Just gather your bearings"

"I am in control" I told him-annoyed a bit that both he and Jasper thought I was a risk. I wasn't a risk, I chanted but the combination of Isabella Swan's blood and Danielle's mystery thwarted every ego I had ever had at having conquered this demonic eternity as best as Carlisle had ever done.

Xx~xx~xX

X

Xx~xx~xX

This could not be happening again.

The bathroom was filled with mist; I had taken a lengthy shower to unwind. My sleep had been anything but peaceful; the red eyes had been watching me, haunting me in and out of each dream scene. I had woken up tense, my muscles locked and my throat aching; a dreaded slow burn.

I wiped the foggy mirror and looked closely at myself; my skin was damp and the little veins of my eyes prominent. This did not make sense and yet it gave answer to a previous question. The thirst I felt, the slow calm torturous beating of Cindy's heart downstairs and finally my own mental strain. I could think of nothing but her heart beat.

I had always wished my eyes were brown… but _black?_

Flat black eyes were staring at me. My lips were ashy and dry. My mouth was dry.

 _Duh duhm duh duhm duh duhm_

Ah, I had to get dressed. Or did I? I looked sick. I was sick. The weather was all wrong; dark angry clouds looming in the sky so early. Breakfast smelt like poison; burning fat in oil –bacon. But Cindy, and that _duh duhm duh duhm_ …

It was decided. I was ill, I had to be home. Away from people.

I exited the bathroom swiftly, clutching my bathrobe to me and stood on the landing.

"Cindy…" I said. My voice was hoarse and strange.

She came and stood at the foot of the stairway. She was holding a spatula and wearing a pink apron with white flowers over her work clothes. She looked up at me, and then looked away a few times before managing to hold my gaze.

"You look like Death…"she said. There was no humor in her tone. She had been all about me going to school every single day; no excuses. The prospect of me breaking that record didn't sit well with her.

"Ok, you're mobile. Get dressed, come down stairs and try eating something." She ran her fingers through her hair, she couldn't hide the panic. I almost asked her why she had called my grandmother-but I thought better of it.

I didn't want to rock the boat, not after the accident and not after having been given Tim-tom to look after. Especially because of the accident…

I headed to the bedroom; not caring that I left wet foot prints behind and closed the door. My head throbbed, my joints hurt and that ache in my throat… I missed my grandmother. She would have known what to do, what to say and if it was normal or _my_ kind normal.

I could hear Cindy placing food in a plate, the serving spoon she was using scraping the pot in a nauseating sound and the plod of whatever she had placed on the plate. Her heart beat was a nagging sound in the background. I got dressed as quickly as I could, shooing the cat of my bed and feigning spreading it.

I moved heavily along the corridor until I reached the stairway balustrade. I looked down and felt instantly dizzy; the downstairs floor could not be that close! The descent downstairs was a torturous one, my body weighed a ton and my eyes and mind were not in sync.

"Danii, we are running against time…" Cindy began impatiently. I miss-calculated the distance between my right foot and the next step; it looked so close! I tripped and went diving down the stairway. I vaguely heard a sharp scream from Cindy from behind the sound of my own frustrated grunt. I twisted my body, pushing my hands in front of me, my fingers splayed open, anticipating the contact of the railing and I gripped onto it the moment I felt it. I held on tight and with all my strength I tried to pull myself up and stop my free-fall but the railing gave in to my weight.

I heard three distinct _snap-snap-snaps_ followed by a low groaning and immediately I resumed my fall, rail in hand. I tumbled down, the steps forming a jagged runway for my body and landed with a loud thud at the bottom.

I lay still for a second, my eyes closed and different points of pain all screaming for attention on my body.

I opened my eyes and met Cindy's wide shocked brown ones. Her hands-both of them-were over her mouth and she was staring at me. That's when I felt the sharp pain radiating from my right hand and arm. I looked over and saw that I was still clutching a piece of the rail but part of it had gone through my arm.

Duh-duhm-duhmduhduhm… No, that was _my heart_ doing eighty miles a minute.

The rust smell?

My head whipped round and I glared at Cindy, scanning her. She backed away slowly, her hands had not moved from her face and her expression behind them was of terror. I turned down to my arm, understanding gripping my mind that the blood-smell was my own. That did not dispel the hunger building up in me and the scorching thirst.

Cindy seemed to get hold of her senses and her confused fear, and moved toward me to help.

"Stay away" I commanded. My voice was low and the very use of air through my throat to make the two sounds made me flinch in pain.

She stood still, her hands limp by her sides and waited for me to move. I got up and made to run to the guest bathroom but I moved so incredibly fast that I couldn't see the door. In that second, everything had just blurred by me and I collided with the wall, missing the door by a foot.

"Danii…!"

Stumbling back, I signaled for her to keep back and slowly went in and got a towel to wrap around my wound.

"God help me!" Cindy pleaded, finally coming towards me and gently prodding me in different places where I suppose newer injuries were appearing. "We have to get to Forks Hospital".

"Why can't you just fix me up…?" I stammered "We have bandages?"

"You have had a fever…" she replied shakily. "And you just zoomed into a wall not to mention the splinter in your arm!"

"We have to hurry" we were walking out the house to the car. "Hmm, I think the doctor's off days should be…"

I remained quiet, no longer listening. Cindy was doing chatting. I _hate_ chatting. What had she said about me having had a fever…?

"Ah, okay then Missy…" she said looking over the car at me nervously. "Let's go get you better, but just hide that arm".

Strange but I was used to that; my mind was crowded and Cindy's oddness in the middle of everything was aggravating.

When we arrived at the hospital and got out of the car, Cindy rushed ahead of me, greeting nurses and familiar patients in between glancing back at me. My hair was let down, framing my face and hiding my eyes. I tried not to make eye contact with anyone.

She stopped by a door and started tapping her foot to indicate I speed up the pace. My body was aching and the hospital smelt like disinfectant and something else I didn't quite like. When I reached her I looked at the door we were standing by; _Dr Carlisle Cullen._

"We are just going to have to be quick". Cindy was biting her lip, her foot was still tapping and she had begun looking around agitated like she stole something.

"Of all the doctors… the Cullens…" I paused thinking of how Edward had saved me, thinking of all the weird things that had happened to me.

She looked me in the eye, concern washing over her features then looked away. "You aren't eating and what happened by the stairs… come on… this is beyond me and don't think I don't know; don't think gran didn't _warn_ me about you"

I was silenced then, a coldness seeping through me and my biggest fear coming to the forefront; would she tell me to go back?

She was now pacing, looking at her watch and trying to bite her lip off.

I looked at my phone, checking the date and it was Tuesday. I had gone to bed ill on Sunday…

Cindy stopped pacing suddenly and squatted by the door, she had keys to the office…

"Keep a look out" she instructed me, her voice shaky and her heart beat picking up pace.

"Why do you have Doctor Cullen's keys to his office?" I asked, dumbfounded.

"Spares, he gave them to me…" she huffed when I was about to prod further and snapped "It's a ong story. I haven't got my own office…" she pushed the door handle down, got up and opened the door.

Cindy closed the door as soon as we were inside and began rummaging a cabinet for something. Dr Cullen's office was neat and decorated in under tones of grey. There were no family pictures but a single painting on his east wall.

I heard the door turn and turned around to see the good Doctor standing in the doorway utterly still.

He stood feet away, his face blank and stared at me.

"Morning Doctor Cullen…" I greeted him, surprised by how natural I sounded in spite of the panic building inside of me. "So nice to see you again".

"Like-wise Danielle," he replied, still standing in the doorway.

Cindy was standing by the cabinet, utterly still and her eyes wide and fearful. She was clutching some items I presumed to be medical supplies, to her chest.

"I..." she began then bowed her head guiltily. I was vaguely aware of my arm and ribs throbbing. The doctor moved towards me, his hand open for my arm.

I didn't like that. I didn't want him near me suddenly. My arm was bleeding still, the blood had started showing through the lime towel and I was _weak_.

"She fell and I didn't want to go through the whole paper work thing…."

"Why did you not just put her under the same file from the school car crash incident?"

His hand was still outstretched for my arm although he was now looking at Cindy. I backed away slowly, my head was spinning and I felt claustrophobic.

"Danielle..?" his clear voice cut through the rushing I could hear to my left, where Cindy stood. I raised my head, not realizing I had bowed over, and met his black eyes.

He gasped.

"Danii, let the doctor check your arm, sweetie" Cindy said shakily. When had she ever called me _sweetie_?

The doctor smelt so sweet, like pansies dipped in syrup.

I straightened up and he came closer, smiling.

The towel was slowly unwrapped and I looked away. The rustic scent of blood was in the air. The doctor was prodding gently, his eyes focused on my arm. His fingers were so cold… I liked that. He turned my arm over, a dull pain following the motion and I grimaced.

"Would you hand me the tweezers, cotton and antiseptic" Dr Cullen asked, his velvet bed side voice floating through the quiet.

Cindy placed them by the table where I was now seated. She hesitated, standing awkwardly by the doctor's side and fumbling her hands over one another.

"I'll go get her file and fill it in…" and with that she shuffled off, leaving me alone with the doctor.

Dr Cullen applied antiseptic over the open wound and pulled the wood splinter out slowly.

"Now, what _exactly_ happened, Danielle?" the doctor asked, he was now using the tweezers to pick out smaller wood splinters.

"I fell…" I replied dryly. I watched numbly as he cleaned my arm. "I had a fever, felt faint coming down the stairs and fell."

"Ah, you had a fever?" he put the used cotton in a silver bowl and wrapped the bandages. His eyes never met mine.

"For a day and a half" I watched his face, half dazed. He looked like a movie star in a medical thriller.

"Hmm, I'm going to prescribe something for the fever and luckily your arm isn't broken and the wood splinter didn't go through muscle."

Cindy entered the office, out of breath and less jumpy. She closed the door and stood by the doctor; her heart beat making up for the quiet… it hit me; Dr Cullen had no heart beat!

"You look spooked Danii…" she smiled at the Doctor, who smiled back causing her to splutter and smile oddly. "She hates Doctors."

Doctor Cullen smiled again.

"Uh, not you of course…" she corrected, her hands going into their nervous fumbling dance again. "Not a personal thing".

Xx~xx~xX

My arm, it had turned out, needed stitches and my fever had vanished. The doctor tried to talk Cindy into blood tests and having me come back for some other tests and a checkup. We agreed on having my wound checked up on. I felt betrayed by my grandmother for having alerted Cindy on how strange I was but at the same time, it was prudent that Cindy knew to refuse any further tests.

The injury was not for nothing; I was further justified in my suspicions of the Cullens.

The Doctor's eyes were black, when I clearly remembered them to be a warm gold like Edwards had been when I met him. And he had no heartbeat. Or maybe I had just not been able to hear his, some kind of defect.

There was also the matter of him recognizing _my_ change in eye colour. I know he had. He didn't hide it quickly enough from his face.

Carlisle must be in his late thirties by all logic and reason although he looked like he was just entering his twenties. So young and with a house full of teenagers who he willingly adopted? All of whom were intensely beautiful in varying degrees and pale as snow. Had he hunted down his family tree and adopted all his missing relatives?

The thirst had died down but it remained a constant fear of mine. At least I had managed to eat a muffin before heading home with Cindy at the close of the day.

"Wow, today was very…" Cindy gripped the steering wheel and let out a huff of air through her clenched teeth. "You're okay though?"

She looked at my arm briefly and then returned her focus onto the road.

"Yeah" I said hoarsely. "I… thank you Cindy."

We sat in silence the rest of the way, heaviness in the air with all our fears and the realization that it was just us two girls against the world.

Xx~xx~xX

"DANIELLE!"

She had been hammering away at my bedroom door, threatening and begging at the same time.

I lay flat on my back; I hadn't bothered to move since her shouting had begun. I wasn't going to move _ever_ again.

"Danii, I'm done. It's your choice whether or not you want to go to school." Cindy stood by the door for a few minutes before going back down stairs.

Five minutes I heard her leave the house. She took the Mercedes. I frowned; she wanted me to go to school but she takes the car she had gotten me.

I checked the time on my clock. It was eight thirty in the morning. School had started thirty minutes ago and Cindy was late for work.

I leaned up, staring through the window. The forest looked back at me accusingly. It knew that I wasn't what I appeared. The 'never getting up' promise to myself was immediately broken when the slight movement reminded me that I had to go to the bathroom. I swung my legs over the bed and stretched.

My room was stuffy. I hated it when my room got stuffy, that's why I slept with the window open...

I looked at my window again. It was shut. I distinctly remember opening it, to air my room and get...the cat's...scent out.

I walked over to the window and gingerly placed my fingers on it. It was closed but the latch hadn't been secured. Maybe it had slid down in the night.

 _I would've heard it shut_ I thought. I stared through the window at the dark, too thick forest. The forest knew about me...

I opened the window and inhaled. The air moved through the room, spreading all the stale scents with _Freesia._

Freesia? I investigated the scent; it came from the corner where a large teddy bear the size of a small toddler sat-a gift from Tyler after the accident. The scent clung onto the teddy, freesia, and lilac and rosemary rain.

Edward Cullen.

My heart hammered in my chest, my hand clenched on to the stuffed toy and my eyes fleeting all over my room. I had thought I had seen him in the forest, in the moonlight. I had had that feeling of being watched. He had been there!

If he had been in the forest last night and in my room then he _knew_ what I had done. What I had become.

I felt like I was dying, my vision flashing and a numb sensation swept through my body. I began hyperventilating and I couldn't control myself, my body began trembling and my knees buckled.

My knees gave and I fell to the floor, bracing myself with my hands. I was vaguely aware that I was still holding the teddy. I was being smothered, my breath coming out in short gasps; freesia, shame, freesia, disgrace…

He knew, he saw and he was there while I did it!

The thought I was trying to keep away, the memory that was so fragile... the memory of last night that saw me incapable of pretending to be _okay;_ what had happened last night, when all I wanted to do was go to sleep and forget the _burn_.

He had been there, watching as I sunk my teeth into the soft furry bundle.

I had been asleep, the Phenergan finally clouding my mind and relaxing my muscles. There was no way I would have managed the night without medicating myself. Phenergan and the Tylenol knocked me out in five minutes flat.

I had entered numbness, a void that consisted of a vague awareness of my surroundings. Images and thoughts entered and fleeted across my mind. The memory of the thirst and the fear were all conquered in my dark numb lull.

Something furry had lay by my head. Humming and vibrating. It curled up by my head, its heart beating gently in a slightly more rapid tempo to mine. I had reached out to stroke it...

My hands raking across its small neck, my eyes slitting to see only a ginger haze and it had purred. I pulled it from the neck, bringing it to my mouth and it had not resisted. It trusted me. Tim-Tom...

Edward had been in my room. He had seen me bite into my pet and _only_ trusted friend's neck, and _suck._ Suck as though my own life depended on it, as though this was the end and the beginning. Small sounds of pleasure and joy emanating from my throat while Tim-tom tried in vain to get away and save his own life.

Edward Cullen had been there when I had turned into a monster. The very moment I had turned into what my grandmother had tried to keep me from, he had been there.

The thirst had been quenched-I grimaced-but what poor fury animal would I pull to my lips the next time it came. Would it even be an animal...?

I was curled up on the floor, my heart beat slowing and my intense apprehension subsiding. I could see the sheets from last evening, stuffed under my bed. The sheets were huge drops of Tim-Tom's blood had escaped my mouth.

I scrambled on my knees, crawling to the side of the bed and pulled them out. I had to get rid of them.

Pulling them out, I looked around my room, searching for the evidence of Edwards visit. How had he gotten through the window? Had he climbed back out through the window?

Had he left while I murdered my cat?

Hmmm, he may have come after the incident. It seemed more likely. A small tension that had formed in my gut loosened at that possibility. He may not have seen me bite through my cat's neck and feed from it. He could have been in the forest and come in after I had buried it…

I looked at my clock, a glimmer of morbid hope warming my heart but it was weighed down by fear; Edward could come and go as he pleased. The _how_ frustrated me the same way the _how_ of his moving so fast to me dazed me; but I had moved that fast too, hadn't I?

Answers. I needed them, finally… for once.

It was nine-fifteen am. I would miss the first lesson but I could make it in time for English.

Ah, I would have to go riding my bicycle. That may mean arriving in the middle of Biology. Whatever, it would have to do.

I was so close to giving up, so close to curling into a ball and letting go. If this wouldn't work, I had run out of options. Latent telekinesis was controllable; when I had hit my teen years it had disappeared entirely. This thirst and burning, this monster in me... this was forever.

Xx~xx~xX

I arrived at school in an hour after leaving home. My muscles hurt from the ridiculous exertions I had put on them. My heart pounded and I was sweating. I was reminded of my morning panic attack. I had to take things easy, calm and collected.

I got my late note quickly, explaining how I had an increased temperature but the moment it went down, I picked up my bag and came straight to school.

Forks High has the most committed students.

I rushed through the corridor, gaining a few curious stares when I entered through the offices. It was intermission, I would be going straight to Biology and avoid standing in front of the class to give my note.

I practically flew through Mr. Crowley's classroom door, my eyes darting to our table and a lump forming in my throat when he wasn't there.

"Danielle, man!" Mike greeted me, sliding from behind his table to give me an awkward hug.

I moved to my table slowly as he followed. Where was Bella, I wondered. Mike didn't usually talk to me unless Bella was here...

"I thought you weren't coming, hey" he said, sitting on top of the table, on Edward's side.

"Just barely made it" I mumbled, trying to hide my bandaged arm.

"You almost have as many absent days as _Edward"_ he pursed his mouth, rolling his eyes. "Maybe this table is cursed"

I failed to laugh convincingly but he didn't care. "Spring dance is coming up"

"Okay?" I said slowly. With everything in my mind, Mike Newton's _talking_ and inconsequence to my reason of coming to school grated me.

"I wanted to ask you something" he leaned in, looking behind him at Bella's empty table.

For a moment, I feared he would ask me to the dance; as illogical as that choice would be for Mike Newton not to mention Jessica hating me for it if it did happen.

"Do you know if Cullen asked Bella to the dance..?" he turned a slight red.

"How would I know?" I let out a small laugh that Mike didn't like. "I mean, has he even had a conversation with Bella? He is really stuck up… he doesn't talk to her, why would he then talk to me?"

"You know, nerdy side kick to the jock… with a little crush on him?" Mike jumped of the table, clearly happier than he had been a moment ago. "I mean, he is fresh out of hot siblings to date" Mike smiled cruelly "Isabella has got to be his target, who else? Lauren maybe…" he mused with himself "No, Isabella. Bella"

With that, he returned to his friends, across the aisle and didn't look back to see me sitting in shock.

His words rang in my head. _Nerdy side kick to the jock.._.

I had almost forgotten this part of life, hadn't I? It bothered me more than it was supposed to but I couldn't be distracted; I needed answers, that was all that mattered.

I did find myself scrutinizing the fact that I had taken a five minute shower, combed my hair with my fingers and worn yet another hoody to school. I had no makeup on( I had tried to hide the scratches on my cheek and neck from Tim-tom's struggle with Cindy's foundation but it contrasted with my skin and I had had to wash it off).

In fact, the only thing on my skin was possibly lotion and deodorant. Damn it, at least I was going out of my way not to be smelly. Didn't that count?

The rest of the class walks in and my eyes widen when they meet Edwards. He walks over to me, to our table and sits down. Bella places her bag on front desk and looks back shyly.

The spring dance; she wanted to ask Edward.

"Danielle, you missed English" Bella's soft voice says, snapping me out of my desperate prayer that he didn't know what I had done to the cat.

"Oh" my voice comes out gruff.

"Yeah, I took notes for you" her eyes dart to Edward, a blush creeping all over her pale face and then she looked back at me.

"Are you okay?" Bella whispered. "You've been gone a while…"

"Great" I smiled weakly at her and she turned around then. Mrs. Crowley had begun writing on the board, notes on our field trip and additional stuff on Organic Food.

In fifteen minutes time I had only written the date.

"Edward...?" I whispered. His shiny blue pen stopped moving across the page of his notebook. He didn't look up at me but remained still. I looked at what he had written. He was literally ahead of Mrs. Crowley, writing things that weren't on the board yet and was on his second page. His writing was slanted, elegant and perfect.

"Never mind" I looked back at my book and attempted to write the first sentence. "

He sighed, placing the pen gently on his page and looked at me. I met his gaze; his previously golden eyes were dark and intense. His face patient but never relaxed.

"Maybe what you want to talk about..."he said, his honey voice soft and imploring. "Is best left for when we are by ourselves"

His eyes drifted to the back of Bella's head and then back at me. He smiled a slow smile that felt like it took a century to reach his face.

"Try concentrating, Danielle" he whispered. The smile hadn't reached his eyes, but the way he looked at me... he could've told me to _try flying_ and I'd be on top of the roof by now.

Dangerous, very dangerous.

He shook his head and resumed copying notes that were not yet on the board.

" _The most important thing about recycling, aside from keeping our environment clean is..."_ I wrote, unable to banish the image of Edward's smile or the ghost that had moved through the forest when I had buried Tim-tom.

 **AUTHORS NOTE:**

 **Hi. How are you?**

 **To explain, this is the first story I had written for fanfiction and I decided to give it a reboot; to honor it in a way.**

 **A few things are going to change with regards to the plot. Hope you enjoy.**

 **Please remember to review…**

 **Xx**

 **TJ**


	5. Undone

**UNDONE**

He still had not spoken to her. He had missed a few more days of school and she worried her determination had driven him away from Forks.

She entered the gymnasium without the usual tightness in her chest, expecting another absent day of Edward but he was there, at the top of the benches; stoic and pale, and seemingly arguing with his little sister.

"He is here!" Isabella tugged Danielle's elbow, effectively snapping Danielle out of shock. "Danii, he came!"

She failed to match Bella's excitement and only let out a grunt of acknowledgment and Isabella frowned at her, shaking her head; she had told Danielle only yesterday that her lack of interest in boys was worrying. Bella turned to Jessica and Angela, and repeated with the same excitement "Edward!"

The girls all looked over at the Cullen siblings and gawked before huddling together, excluding Danielle from the discussion of how Isabella would conquer Edward.

"Later, then" Danielle said. She was unnerved; he was here and she found herself backtracking from talking to him, especially with the weird sister there.

"Wait!" Jessica called her back "You have to do something for us"

Us? Danielle thought. She was unaware that a girl liking a guy was a joint venture for every one of her friends. She frowned automatically and Jessica caught this irritation before Danielle could wipe it from her face.

Jessica and Lauren did not like her, she knew this.

"For Bella" Jessica then specified no smile or humor on her face; this was serious business to them, Danielle realized. "Find out _when_ he will ask her"

"We don't talk" Danielle said automatically.

"He saved your life, Danii" Bella said gently. Bella knew about Edward's rapid appearance behind her truck just as Danielle did, and had tried to bring it up to Danielle who had played dumb. Bella had after that, seemed to think it prudent to keep this to herself as though she would use it to bargain with Edward into dating her, Danielle thought.

"Yes, I haven't forgotten" Danielle was eager to be gone from the girls.

"Just ask him if he will be there at least" Isabella smiled "And then sneak in a question on who he is thinking of going with"

"Sure" Danielle didn't smile "Bye"

They watched her walk away and she could tell she was now being discussed but she could only hear as normal as any person now. She clenched her reasons and resolution, she would brave him; not for Isabella, that was complete _nonsense_ -but for herself, for Tim-tom.

She sat a few benches below the Cullens, clutching her arm to her. She wasn't in gym clothes and today, she happily let her injury be known to the world. The coach called everyone closer and the two Cullens had moved directly behind her. Her heart hammered heavily in her chest.

"So, are you ready for P.E?" Edward's sister asked-her voice, like that of Dr Cullen and Edward, was musical. She was doing _chatting_ with Edward, probably to dispel the argument they had been having prior.

He remained quiet and in a second, the sister had risen and danced her way down the benches. "The boys will be playing soccer next week, its only girls today" she threw.

In the same moment, the coach called all the girls down to the court.

"Thank you for that bit of information, dear Alice" he sighed but Alice was long gone. That didn't matter, Danielle thought, Alice could probably hear him regardless.

"Okay, Daniella..." the coach said, looking at her when she didn't budge from where she sat. She stuck out the doctor's note and he took it exasperatedly from her and read out loud, for everyone to hear " _Fever, punctured arm..."_ scrutinizing her and shifting from foot to foot.

"Where is the hurt arm, then?" he asked, his pink blotchy face contorting in suspicion.

"It's Danielle..." she answered dryly. She waved her bandaged arm up. She turned around quickly and met Edward's eyes; he looked surprised.

She had assumed Dr Cullen would tell him about her visit to the hospital. His eyes darted down to her arm and he pursed his mouth.

"Well, Dr Cullen isn't one for forgery" the coach laughed. "I guess you are out for today. Any other girls with doctor's letters?" he looked around at the group.

"Do they have to be signed by Doctor Cullen?" Lauren asked sardonically and a few people laughed.

"Okay, girls play soccer today and next week its boys." He folded the note, stuffed it into his pocket and went to collect the soccer ball.

"Hi" she said. She had not turned to look at him as was common etiquette when greeting someone but knew he heard her; dared him not to answer her.

He didn't and she felt anger prickling in her; she was keeping his secret and he dared to be rude to her.

"Do you have to be so rude, Edward?" she was exasperated, and deliberately placed her bag on top of his fancy sneakers before moving to the bench above, next to him. She didn't look at him but could see from the corner of her eye that he was just as determined not to acknowledge her.

Down below, the coach was instructing the girls into dividing themselves into teams… while Jessica, Lauren and Isabella kept looking up at her and Edward.

"You're the one placing your ten kilogram bag on my poor feet" he responded brusquely.

"...a ten kilogram bag compared to a thousand kilogram car?"

She swiftly moved the conversation to the accident, innocently, as though they were simply discussing the weather. He removed her bag from his feet; and placed it in front of her in silence.

"Ah, right. We are not to discuss _that_ " she said sweetly. "You're the _only_ person who hasn't asked me what happened to my arm" she stated, turning her head to finally look up at him. "Did your _dad_ tell you?"

He didn't miss her prickling at the word "dad".

"No, he didn't" the words seemed to come out with an effort.

"I'm not saying you must know or something..." she faltered, peering at him "I fell, anyway".

She turned around abruptly, folding her arms and concentrating very hard at the amusing match bellow. Her heart was beating a frantic rhythm and her posture had turned tense and defensive.

"...my father slept in at the hospital" he whispered. "I haven't had a chance to talk to him all week"

She thought of Dr Cullen and how friendly he seemed, she liked him she realized. She could go and visit Cindy, accidentally bump into the Doctor and have a chat… people loved chats, and tell him; she could tell him. She trusted him a whole lot more than Edward and his mood swings. Edward gave her literal headaches…

"It's very important that we not be friends, Danielle" Edward said abruptly.

"Did I say I wanted to be your friend?" she answered touchily. "You said you would explain!" she ignored the pleading his voice had taken.

"Danielle..." I implored, leaning forward, closer to her. She shuddered and her heart began doing a marathon in her constricting chest. She felt afraid but not of an imminent danger from him; she could smell the freesia cologne off of his skin. He moved back suddenly, never saying anything eventually.

He focused ahead, seemingly pulled in with the ridiculous match bellow them; the girls were too busy trying to be graceful at running and kicking the ball to worry about playing properly. The idiotic and unnecessary formal dance was to blame; they were caught up in their hormones of attracting the opposite sex.

"If you're worried about me not keeping it a secret, I'll tell you something about myself in return. You already _know_ I'm hiding something too" she edged closer to him and he tensed.

"Secrets are meant to be kept, don't you think?" he asked her.

"Some..."

"Especially those which are _dangerous_ " he cut her.

Her heart faltered and picked up a staccato tempo that increased with each breath. Her small chocolate hands balled into tight fists and she shook her head slightly "You saved my life" she stated, he voice quavering.

"It doesn't make me a hero" he sighed. She hadn't really been watching the match but she could Jessica's accusing eyes. Lauren moved over to Jessica, not caring that the ball went rolling

"Isabella liked you" she said, detached "You should ask her out"

"What?" he looked at her then, all control gone.

"Sitting here and talking to you needs to wield some results" she sighed "Otherwise, I will be in danger of Lauren and Jessica"

"I am _not_ asking out a human"

"Human" she looked at him. He went rigid, silent.

"I guess we have the whole of the Biology Field trip for you to tell me what's so bad about humans"

She hastily got down the benches, managing to trip and almost fall nearing the bottom but remained in her vertical stance. She shot him a warning glare, and left the gymnasium.

Xx~xx~xX

X

Xx~xx~xX

"Well, that was humorous..." Alice chirped when I finally reached her. She had been watching and listening in on our conversation with abundant glee. "She doesn't know you have feelings for her; I suspect she thinks the opposite"

"What are you talking about, there are no _feelings_ here" I hissed. Alice was my favorite sister but today I had reached my limit with her meddling self. "There is only me trying to fix a situation that's spiraling out of control"

"Acceptance is the first step of recovery Edward..." she sighed. "You're _addicted_ to her".

"My reaction to her is natural..." I grumbled.

"Ha! You damn near jumped her when she sat next to you" she twirled around me annoyingly, a graceful porcelain dancer, her spiky black hair bouncing.

"It's complicated Alice!"

"It's attraction, _Edward!"_

"Enjoy your field trip" Alice murmured, winking at me before waltzing away to her Art class.

If I delayed, she may be forced to sit with one of her friends. If I delayed, I may be forced to sit with one of the irritating human children…. Or she would sit beside _Tyler_. Why did the simple seating arrangement of the bus seem like a battle strategy…?

I breathed in deeply, filling my lungs with clean air for the long trip and stepped into the yellow bus. The driver eyed me irritably; it seemed I was one of the last children he had been instructed to wait for. At first I was overwhelmed; the loud chattering of thoughts and words in the confined narrow space but as the wave of noise was absorbed easily into my mind; deciphering the now familiar tones of my classmates-I spotted her.

She was peering up at me from the front seat by the window, smirking impishly and patting the seat beside her. I looked quickly up-to the back of the bus and subsequently each row-that seat was the only open one besides the Biology teachers own one. Mrs Crowley had surreptitiously moved her handbag to fill the seat beside her as I hesitated…

 _No way kid, Carla is sitting here… s_ he thought; she had a crush on the substitute teacher, interesting.

I sighed but internally my insides did a frenzied conga dance as I sat down quickly beside Danielle. I could feel her small frame shaking lightly; chuckling. The heat of her body bloomed and wafted my right side in warmth but right now I had to deny myself that intoxicating scent she exuded.

The seats were too close together; had they always been this cramped? Her warmth turned into an unbearable heat that lighted my every nerve. I sat impossibly still, careful not to breathe and looked straight ahead out the windscreen. The bus roared to life and jerked forward and the babble resumed.

It was raining as usual, but that was not going to stand in the way of our education. If it did, the children at Forks would have school three times a year. She heaved a breath and leaned her head on the window and looked grumpily at the dark skies. She would hate this type of weather having been from a relatively sunny place.

"...Danielle is sooo ambitious!" Lauren Mahoney hissed to one of her minions. She had been seething from the point I had sat down, her thoughts and words a consistent string of curses targeted at Danielle. Danielle, who had turned around abruptly at the very moment her name had been called out softly at the very back of the bus…

She turned her head left and right, expecting to see Lauren right behind her and stared in surprise at Fred Garinger and Matt Houston-seated behind our seats and swapping cards. She looked to the opposite seats but that's where Mrs Crowley was seated, gazing vacantly out the window. Next to her was her handbag-Carla had sent a message to her that she would have to miss the field trip, she was unwell.

She sat back in her seat with a thud after locating Lauren; at the back of the bus with all the other pompous scowl-wielding teenagers. She shouldn't have heard Lauren at all above all this noise and the fact that the idiot girl hadn't shouted it out. She seemed unaware of that fact or surprised of her hyper senses.

"It shouldn't bother you so" I whispered.

She jumped in surprise, her eyes wide as though she had forgotten I was beside her in my utter stillness. I watched her from the corner of my eye-amused and worried simultaneously.

"What?" she asked.

"What they think" I sighed, keeping my head facing straight, my eyes sweeping the wet road laid out before the bus.

"You mean what they say?" she murmured. Of course she would catch that.

"That too" I shrugged my first movement since sitting down. She was too quick for her own good.

"I don't care... I just didn't expect to _hear it_ " she said sharply, still watching my face with her all seeing eyes.

"Oh" I said dully.

She stared at me pointedly; trying to get me to look at her I suppose but I kept my gaze on the road. I tried to focus on the grey tar and swishing sound of the tyres moving through the thin sheet of rain on the ground. I tried to focus, but her persistent gazing made me…it made me nervous, anxious and hyper aware at the same time.

"Yeah, oh" she huffed, and rearranged herself to her previous posture.

"'Guess you and I have forty-twenty hearing huh?" she whispered, looking out the window

"I guess so" I murmured.

Xx~xx~xX

There was mud everywhere on the farm. The children ran and skidded over the lawn, squealing and yelling.

Isabella's eyes are wide and impolite in their staring. She is meters away from me but I smell her; so delicious in the rain. She looks away when I don't shy away from her indecent gaze-blushing and pooling blood easily-before stalking off.

I don't waste time in making things unbearable for Danielle. I move quickly over the wet ground. She follows diligently, placing slow deliberate steps into the soggy ground and huffing with each exertion. I go around a group of children and move to the out skirts of the shed they are keeping dry under.

She spots me after a moment and makes to move towards me but Lauren Mahoney intercepts her. I had been to busy concentrating on the rather enjoyable task of playing cat and mouse with Danielle to notice this scene playing out in Lauren's mind.

"Seriously, what is up with you!" she screeched, her hands on her hips in anger-a mock anger of the true feeling inside her.

"What?" Danielle spluttered.

"Like, fine. You like Edward and all but if he is not interested then leave him alone"

I could see how it looked to anyone watching me; she had come to sit by me during P.E and now I was running from her; I felt shame… crushing shame.

Danielle's face went black momentarily before a slow smile crept over her lips and she blurts out a laugh. Her hand quickly went over her mouth but the humor was still in her eyes. Lauren had not gotten to her.

"Are you done?" Lauren sneered, her arms crossed.

Danielle nodded to her once, before casting me a look.

"Look, it's about Bella and it has been _obvious_ over the last couple of days that Edward"-her tone took a breathy quality when she said my name-"is obviously considering her. He is _always_ staring at her"

I only stared at Bella because I couldn't hear her thoughts and she was the one in most cases staring at me!

"Yes, Lauren, I know" she managed. "That's what I am doing; trying to convince him to date her and not be such a snob"

"Really..." Lauren began-and before Danielle could let out the words that were hanging on her lips, and before I could let Lauren carry out her plan; which, after deciding Danielle was not much of a threat was to eliminate Isabella… my body reacted of its own accord. I rushed to Danielle as slowly as I could and took her by the hand. She complied, not flinching from my ice cold touch or pulling her own small soft hot hand away. She followed me, before throwing a "Bye, Lauren" behind her.

"That girl-that _snake_ " I realized I was repeating as we stopped behind the shed.

The rain was falling inches from us with a new found ferocity. The clouds had abandoned their cream-grey disguise and we were in a full on storm.

She looked down, and I was just as bewildered to find my hand still grasping hers and I quickly let it go.

"Are you okay" I asked.

"Why wouldn't I be?" she asked "Lauren and Jess just need reassurance that I am not in their Edward Hunger games"

"What she had planned for you, that girl…"

She peered up at me and her dark navy eyes went wide with… something. It made me uneasy-was she noticing how utterly different we were in this moment.

"I don't care" she sighed "I have had worse"

"You think that I like Isabella?" I looked intently at her, lost in our gaze. Her eyes, their texture and components where indescribable

… the colour reflective and intense…

"That... what?" she spluttered. We were behind the shed, alone "It seemed so"

"I was trying to _help_ you, _Edward_ " she insisted and then chuckled lightly "Well, mostly help myself"

"Help me?" I asked her, taken aback.

"You're _absurd_ " I hissed. "We have to return to the others, Mrs Crowley found the guide"

I spun around and moved away from her quickly, angry, frustrated and elated at the same time. Xx~xx~xX

"...and that's why it's important to _always_ recycle" Mrs Crowley finished.

The importance of organics and recycling were lost on me. They could feed the chickens fish if they wanted, and have it taste like beef by the end of its death. The sky could come falling down over my head and the secrets of the universe revealed to me in that same breath and I wouldn't apprehend what was happening. I just could not _care._

It had taken all my will power not to double back to her. In her peculiarity and bold beauty, I had forgotten she was possibly a human girl too. I had disgustingly hoped that some of what Lauren had implied would hold some truth. I didn't want to feel it but it had welled up inside me the moment she said it; did she want me interested in her? It was important I control my emotions better, very important. I shouldn't have interceded in the teenage drama. I shouldn't have brought more notice to myself and Danielle. It was all they were talking about instead of concentrating on Organics, Recycling and Farm Production. It was all they were thinking... there was no way this wouldn't be a gossip wild fire by tomorrow. There was no way my family wouldn't find out (Alice had probably already seen something in her visions).

 _Ah, I knew Danielle wouldn't jump to conclusions about Laurens unbelievable accusations! I'm so glad she let Bella explain herself..._

Angela's usual pure mind allowed me to glimpse into the still intact friendship of Bella and Danielle. Danielle was distrustful-a reflex reaction she had to people- but she seemed to be a good judge of character.

I had struggled to be moderate with my family's secret and still be honest with her, but it had turned on its head, we were back to square one. I was still the "arrogant pretty boy". I cringed at the word _boy_ ; did this infer she thought I was child-like. I thought of how she saw Carlisle, when I had crudely peeped into her mind; was she infatuated with him? I was bothered, horribly so, thinking of her feeling safe with him while having intermittent feelings of unease and fear with me.

" _It makes you_ my _hero"_

That confession caused me a paradox of pain and joy. I was dangerous to her, whether Bella's blood was the one that called out to me and not hers. I was dangerous to her because I couldn't stop myself from being near her. I would look for reasons and justify them at all costs. I was pulling her into a world of soulless blood drinking monsters. Her affliction- she could handle it. It had less than a tenth of the concentration of a vampire. The fact that she could be so _close_ to the delicious Bella...

Ah, I picked up that _scent_ as the wind changed direction. I looked up, finally giving my full attention to my surroundings. It had stopped raining when we were in the green-house but it was now windy. The ground was a green muddy surface and the children were enjoying it mostly; their inner child surfacing so easily. I spotted them- Isabella and Danielle- they were by the water trout talking. Danielle was picking at a daisy absently. Her hoody had been pulled off and her thick black hair was swaying in the wind, across her face. She ignored it and looked ahead at the stables, unseeingly. She seemed calmer. At ease.

I liked Bella a little more now. She had done something I had failed to do when I had taken Danielle to the back of the shed.

"I mean, if you _do_ like him Bella, that's okay too, but I think that it's safer to not like him at all. Those _girls_ can be quite mean about it..." Danielle said to a captivated Bella.

"Jessica told me that he hasn't gone out with anyone from the school" Bella said shyly. She turned her head searchingly and found me. She blushed and resumed studying Danielle. If I could hear her thoughts, what she was thinking when she blushed like that...?

I had always disregarded some of these behaviors in women and now I was at a loss from that ignorance to understand my interactions with Danielle.

"Ah, yeah... Jessica also told me he thinks he is too good for anyone" said Danielle, a faint smile on her lips. I tried to listen for her thoughts but they were far gone behind the white noise as she stood close to the mute of Isabella's mind.

"Do you think it's true?" Isabella looked at me more openly, her wide brown bambi-eyes unashamedly locking with my predator ones.

"I think it doesn't matter, if someone wants to be left alone... its best to leave them alone" Danielle threw her daisy resignedly into the water, signaling the end of the topic. As she turned to walk down the path to the stables, she saw me. She stopped, glaring at me and walked off without looking back.

Isabella followed her, glancing back less-than-conspicuously, her red-brown hair blowing in the wind and her scent tormenting me slowly.

Xx~xx~xX

Before we got off of the bus, I said to her "Delay"

"What"

"Delay" I repeated. We were seated at the front-as before, but we allowed almost the entire bus to empty out before we followed. She followed my lead, and before long; we were behind the bus and out of sight as everyone entered the school.

"More games?" she frowned. We were alone in the back car park now.

"I said I would talk to you" I sighed "I can only try; like I said before-secrets should remain that"

"Firstly, don't ever think we are the same" I told her seriously and her frown intensified. I thought of reading her mind but she was on to my connection to her and her headaches; I was unsure how far she had come to guessing my telepathy. I didn't prod, in the end.

"If you are going to talk to me…" she said slowly "It has to be today"

"Today?" I thought for a moment the urgency she had; remembering her in the forest. "Agreed, right now then"

"But…" she began and I smiled, challenging her. She quieted and when I spun around, waking to my car… she followed apprehensively.

"Are you worried?" I asked her.

"No" she lied "We had just better not get caught"

"We won't" I sighed, pacing the car keys on top of the left front tyre. Alice would know and Rosalie and Emmett had not attended school today… thankfully. "Your cousin dropped you off?"

"Uh… I came on my bike" she murmured.

"Okay, that's good" I took out my cellphone, instructing Alice to take her bike too. I paused, smiling; Alice…

"Well, since you like forests so much… you won't mind" I pointed to the edge of the forest. "I promise not to let any wolves eat you"

"How do you know I won't just eat the wolves" she walked ahead of me, challenging me as usual "Well, come on. I hear the rich Cullen kids do this all the time"

 **AUTHORS NOTE:**

 **Remember to give a little feedback!**


	6. Revelations

**EDWARD CULLEN**

Xx~xx~xX

"We are not the same" I told her.

The trees were getting taller, leaning thickly to each other and she followed me willingly. I shivered at that, her following me; of course, ditching was my idea… the reason being to appease her questions but something coiled inside me at being alone with her.

I thought of the red eyed man that had looked at her -the _vampire_. Her memory on it was strange, and she oddly never linked me to him; but I thought of it and I thought of him and suddenly my high at being alone with her subsided.

It could be some other vampire leading her away; I was a vampire, leading her away into the dark chill of the woods.

"Then... you are something else?" she asked, her voice uneven. I had picked up pace, apprehensive now; realizing that I was breaking so much of my vampire world as much as she was breaking away from being human.

"You see me this way, an you think that I am an angel maybe?" I said quickly, stopping. "I am not. I am something else; something monstrous"

She huffed, looking around us before walking carefully towards me, to stand in front of me. "Monstrous?" her lips curved downwards.

"Why did you save me, Edward?" her eyes were piecing, I had to look away as the unexpectedness of her question rattled my thoughts.

"I am thankful" she added, looking down at her shoes.

"I don't know" I said gruffly.

"Okay" she seemed to shrink in front of me, slowly tilting her head up but no longer brave to look directly at me "How did you move that fast?" she asked but before I could even bother debating on whether to lie or say, truthfully that I had run, she shook her head and frowned in distress, looking at me now "Can you control it? The speed?"

I dropped my dilemma, feeling the distress of her thoughts too; the frustrating white noise unsettled me but I felt the tenor without prodding and then I desisted before her mental repellant aggravated us both.

"I simply ran to you… at _my_ speed"

"Really" she turned away from me, coiled her body before awkwardly running a few meters forward.

I watched, sad and amused; but I had to rush to her when she tripped, catching her in my arms. "Huh?" she looked up at me, her body submissive in my arms. I remembered how she didn't like how cold I was and quickly placed her upright.

She shook her head, "Your eyes change color" her chin was up "Mine too. You are strong… I am too"

"But most days you aren't strong?" I smiled at her feebly. "And your skin is yielding, is it not? You can get hurt?"

"I moved really fast… when I fell down the stairs" she wasn't really talking to me, reliving this. She wouldn't mention the cat and I had no way of bringing it up.

She went silent again, a frown on her face and her lower lip jutting out.

"We aren't the same" as I said this I reached a finger below her chin, she hated my coldness but she needed to be looking at me to understand this. "You are not a monster"

The depth of her dark eyes seemed to hold so many _other_ secrets. She looked away.

My hand fell to my side, burned.

"You are good" I said.

"You saved me" she said stubbornly.

"What if I'm not the super hero...?" I said, smiling and trying to sound none threatening. "What if I'm the bad guy?"

"Do you understand?" I asked, working to conceal my agony.

"You're dangerous?" she whispered, shaking her head and no fear in her clear eyes. "No I don't believe you are bad. I am not bad… Edward. You aren't… bad"

She looked at me, her eyes wet. The questions and confusion swam but she was so stubborn "You wouldn't have saved me if you were bad. There's the first clue to the _why_ of you saving me; of you risking your secret"

"You know it's possible you _are_ wrong" she shivered lightly, the sun was going down. "It is possible that our ideas on what's bad and good are greatly at odds"

"I don't want to lie to you and a great part of me wishes to tell you everything" I said the words and realized that they were true "But I am bound by the laws of the world I live in Danielle. I think I am putting your life in danger"

"So… this was pointless?" she waved her hands around us, the wind moved through the little clearing and she shivered again.

"Would you say that? Really? Well, I'll be away tomorrow. Camping. So this is a little treat for me I suppose" I smiled. "I'll tell you what, I'll take you home then it won't be so pointless"

"Didn't you leave your car to Alice?" she was exasperated "I have my bike…"

"I'll take you home Danielle"

Xx~xx~xX

X

Xx~xx~xX

 **DANIELLE**

He places me down, back on the earth and I swayed immediately.

He reached a hand out, his eyes on my face. His face was so pale, almost glowing-the had fallen over us, the smell of the forest rising high. I felt drunk.

"Was I… too fast?" he dropped his hand to his side when I didn't take it.

"Did I not hurt you?" I blinked. I had been holding on for dear life, forgetting that he needed his life too with my grip. "Your… throat?"

"Throat?" he smiled in confusion. He touched his neck regardless; it was white and unharmed.

"I had you in a chokehold" I said.

"You aren't strong enough to have me in any sort of 'hold', Danielle" he laughed then shook his head. "Well, at least not in a 'kill me sort of way'"

He hadn't meant to say that and I didn't know what to do with that little slip up. We looked at each other awkwardly; he wouldn't look away and I had to turn away from him. I looked at the house, my joy being chipped away slightly at the reminder that I was still hiding from Cindy; hiding who I was.

What I am.

"What… are you?" I asked him again and he smiled, shaking his head in disapproval. "If we aren't the same… I mean, you have to give me a clue?"

"Danielle" he smiled sadly, backing into the woods. I watched, dazed before his soft voice reached my ears under the sound of the wind "Go inside"

Xx~xx~xX

X

Xx~xx~xX

"You know, I have never heard you mention the spring dance"

I groaned within but smiled a little at Isabella. She smiled back, but not as freely and seemed anxious; she held her books to her chest. "The girls ask the guys you know?"

I nodded curtly; most days, Isabella and Angela accepted who I was; if I didn't want to do something or talk about something-it was never going to happen. Isabella had been more than normal, warmer to me today. I wondered if it was because the Cullen's were absent, I wondered if it was to get more information on Edward… or secure our friendship further after the Lauren ordeal.

I felt glum. Edward had turned into the sun for me; the one thing in my life that pulled me from a darkness that had always plagued me. I wasn't up for chatting and Isabella…

"Have you… asked… anyone?" she stammered.

"Not planning on going to the dance at all" I was sure I had said this a thousand times already.

"But did you ask anyone or…?"

I huffed sharply, we were by the entrance to the cafeteria. I knew what this was about, and although I knew better than to say it and although it stung a little… there were things I knew were not for me; I had more pressing matters in my life "Bella, just ask him. Nothing is going on between him and I. We are friends. He has been the one good thing to happen since I got here"

She absently looked through the cafeteria doors, to the empty Cullen table and then back at me.

"Will you go shopping with us?" she smiled softly. "It's Angela, Jessica and I" she elaborated quickly when I began to frown and before I could formulate my decline to her invitation she said further "Oh come on. You passed up La Push for Saturday, you could at least do this?"

Xx~xx~xX

The weekend seemed to blur to a standstill, right onto the unfortunate day I had promised Bella. I was grumpy; the grumpiest I had been since my first week moving to Forks. Cindy had not been around to distract me and I no longer had a cat. All I had were questions and a blurry memory that nagged me the whole Saturday morning and the better part of the night. The things I knew of where I was from and the things I actually recalled… were at odds. Who was I and what was I overpowered my irritation of going shopping.

I was suddenly grateful for Isabella.

"Are you ready?" Bella asked me at the end of our greetings, over the phone.

"Yeah, I'll see you in thirty minutes?"

"Yeah, okay then. Bye" she hung up and I slumped back in the chair.

"You know, Chief Swan is a very nice guy" Cindy said, obviously planning on swinging the conversation to my sudden social life. She had come in from work in the morning, tired but unable to immediately fall asleep.

"Bella is nice too, then" I muttered.

"I don't get you-you're going shopping with girls-why are you sulking?"

"I am not sulking" I grumbled, aware that my mouth was forming a pout against my will.

"Right, well...try to fix your mood for the girls" Cindy said "This is a positive thing. At least you didn't have to deal with a flu that is doing the rounds in Forks"

"Oh, uh… is Doctor Cullen back from camp?"

"I'm not Carlisle's p.a-I am his attendee" she replied touchily.

With that, Cindy zoned out in front of the television. Fifteen minutes later I heard Bella's truck before it stopped in front of my house.

I got out of the house begrudgingly. I had tried today; I wore a light cardigan and had tied my hair tightly into a ponytail, some mascara coated my eyelashes.

In all essence, I think I had gone all out. The last time I had had an outing with kids my age… I had snuck out and… well, alcohol and I were not good friends and Cindy's father was a monster.

"You look pretty" Bella said, looking at me from the corner of her eye as she drove.

"Thanks, I didn't want to stick out" I laughed.

Xx~xx~xX

The drive had been in silence most of the way, the music from her stereo playing until… she dialed the volume all the way to mute.

"Before we get to Jess and Angela" she said slowly "I want to ask you something and I would appreciate it if you told me the truth"

I sighed, rolling my eyes "I really don't mind you asking Edward to the dance"

"No, its not that" she didn't laugh, her tone low and serious "Its… how Edward got to you so fast? You know, during the accident"

This caught me off guard. I felt like a bucket of ice had been thrown over my head.

"You have gotten close to him" she continued after a moment, after I didn't answer or acknowledge that anything had been asked "Especially after the accident"

"Hmm"

"I haven't said anything to anyone" she said. The truck was loud but the unfriendly tension even louder.

"Nor have you" she pressed, relentless. "And I won't ever say anything to anyone. You know how I feel about him… and when I was in La Push something came up"

I was cold and made of stone in that moment. I swallowed; I was angry at her, at myself and at everything; her words hurt-she felt for him. He was my sun… but what scared me the most was the meaning of her words that she would never understand; he would disappear if he knew. If he ever knew Bella knew what he was…

What was he?

"I think I know what he is…" she whispered and I looked at her then, my head snapping so fast I almost sprained my neck. The million dollar question and she… _her_ , she _knew_? My mouth hung open. She pulled up in front of the store we would start our shopping in; Jessica frowned at us impatiently while Angela waved excitedly. We didn't move to get out.

"A cold one" she breathed. "And I will never say a word; he can trust me. You tell him that"

Xx~xx~xX

X

Xx~xx~xX

 **EDWARD**

I tried to keep it at bay, to hide it from myself… to ignore it. But here it was; there it was-everywhere. Everything made me think of Danielle.

"Edward, come on…!?" Emmett tossed the small tree at me like a javelin, his decision had not been thought through as he was too busy being frustrated by my melancholy at our little 'boys afternoon out'. I dodged it a fraction of a second late, irritated when it hacked at my shirt and ripped it.

I picked it up and flung it at him, more willingly and violently than he had; but this excited him and he jumped away, laughing; misinterpreting my new energy for participation in our little battle ground.

"Edward… you shouldn't have come if you didn't feel like it" Jasper sighed.

"I feel like it" I lied and he raised an eyebrow, smirking.

 _Still bothered by the Swan girl?_

I just barely managed to _not_ frown; Jasper was a little too pleased that for once, someone else was having problems with the humans.

"Yes" I lied again-only it was half a lie, but Jasper felt it.

If I had stayed home, with no distractions… I would have ended up at her house. I didn't understand what was going on with me and it scared me; it was terrifying-it was _new._

She… was not a vampire. This was not permissible. I should not and could not feel… curious. Yes, curiosity. The justification lay in knowing that anyone in my position would be just as curious to figure her out, to understand the enigma behind her vampiric traits and maybe pull in the Isabella factor.

I certainly did not feel the same curiosity for Isabella even with her mute mind but Danielle… she was different. So enchantingly different…

The problem was the curiosity went too far; further than Tim-tom and mind blocks because I wanted to know silly things; was she enjoying her time …without me in it.

Stupid.

I had never been in her day… God knows it was a sin for me to want to place myself further than where I was, already… in her little life.

"Edward" Jasper sighed. "Is it the singer or is it the black girl"

I flinched a little, angry with him and he felt it but was unsure on whether it was about Isabella or Danielle; he would have preferred it to be Isabella, natural to him-being from the time he came from and being so lost in blood as he had been before.

"Talking about feelings is not my strength" Jasper smiled. He hadn't meant to offend or push and Emmett was impatient. I couldn't word out the feeling and he couldn't understand what I felt.

"Irony" I breathed. "How about… we go for a swim? We haven't had a race in the sea in a while…"

I knew they would agree, and so I rearranged my face to excitement although the notion of being further away made me more uneasy but it had to be done; this was not healthy for me. I had to break free.

Xx~xx~xX

X

Xx~xx~xX

 **DANIELLE**

All thought of me acting normal was gone.

What did she mean by the 'Cold One'? Where had she gone to get this sudden revelation? I looked at her as she twirled in a blue dress, Angela cheering her on while Jessica looked slightly jealous; Isabella had a slender figure that made the dress hang so elegantly on her.

I was jealous too, so suddenly and it was implausible; there were bigger concerns like… Cold Ones.

I eyed her pointedly and she smiled, in a knowing way; we had a secret. This trying on dresses was pointless, a waste of time. Angela and Jessica were crowding us.

We had been at this for far too long. This was the third store, it was getting late and I was getting tired of refusing their requests in joining the dress twirls. I had thought I would be a good sport but I felt like I would come undone with the collision of emotions inside of me.

"Come on try on a dress!?" Angela pushed her spectacles up her nose and pouted "Danielle, I am sure if you see yourself in a dress, you will reconsider the spring dance"

"I agree with Angela" Jessica surveyed herself "How can Mike resist this?"

"Dani..." Bella pulled me by my hand and I obliged her, standing up. "Try on a dress"

"Why did you even drag her here if she was going to be a spoilt sport" Jessica snapped, returning to the dressing room. It hurt but I thought Angela agreed with Jessica and I did, in that moment feel ashamed.

"There is a bookstore I promised we would check out" Isabella laughed, at ease in the chaos I felt. "It has all the answers, I am certain" she winked at me "But… you are getting a dress. I will need a wingman at the dance"

Xx~xx~xX

"...blue looks really good on you, Jessica" Bella said, a small smile on her lips.

Jessica returned her smile, but when she turned around I saw her roll her eyes. This had been going on for the past hour; Jessica asking for an opinion and then dismissing it.

Bella sat on the Victorian couch with me, her green dress in hand and waited patiently for Angela to exit the changing room.

"Blue looks better on _you_ " I said pointedly.

She smiled and touched her gown. It was frilly and green.

"You think?"

"I know so" I winked at her, now in a better mood. She handed me a bookstore brochure. I could meet Isabella's bargain and go to the dance; I could take the photos for the rest of the school. She didn't know I didn't know exactly what Edward was, and her wanting me there was probably as some sort of support that she wasn't crazy; this I understood.

I felt a pang in my heart; I was betraying him somehow but I had to… he was the one thing that could unblur so much of my past, of who I was.

"Uh, Bella...are you taking _Danielle's_ advice on fashion?" Jessica asked.

Isabella sighed and motioned for us to leave. "We'll come back soon, you guys will be in this line of shops right?"

Angela answered whilst Jessica sulked.

We rushed down the narrow sidewalk in silence, turning a few times and crossing a few roads.

"The Little Bear" she had slowed stopping in front of a bookstore. There was a sign with a totem man with an eagle on his head outside the store. We entered carefully and Bella touched my arm. "You don't have to say anything if… you cant. I just… I thought I was crazy"

I nodded tersely.

The store was a warm and had a dusty smell of books in it. The shopkeeper said he was from the Reservation and grinned widely at Isabella. She had gone off, searching and I had stood still, heart hammering as though I was being told the results of my life in a few minutes. Cold Ones; exactly how one would describe a Cullen if they had ever touched them.

" _The Old and Lost Quileute Legends_ " the shopkeeper said in a deep booming voice. Isabella was at the counter, glancing back at me nervously "You will enjoy this"

She smiled at him and we made our way back to the last shop down the line we had left Jessica and Angela. It was getting dark.

We got to the shop and they were not there. This was after Isabella had specifically instructed Jessica to text her whatever shops they would be going into. I checked my own ancient mobile for messages. Nothing.

"This is so typical of Jessica" Bella breathed when Jessica's phone went unanswered. We had left Bella's truck too far out, having moved around in Jessica's much more comfortable and modern sedan.

"Do you know where the restaurant is…?" I asked her and she frowned a little in confusion.

"Vaguely" she admitted. "I guess we should start trekking?"

"I guess so" I smiled.

The darkness was approaching all too fast and we were getting anxious.

"I doubt I could even locate the bookstore at this point" Bella sighed "…and my phone's battery is running on empty" she put her phone away. "Uh, so… you aren't ever going to reveal anything?"

I sighed deeply. She didn't understand that it was not only Edward's secret but I was at risk too; I had my secret all tangled up in him too.

"Well, this book…" she raised the plastic with the book cradled in it "Its probably the long story of what Jacob told me"

"Jacob?"

She smiled at my more outward interest now.

"A boy from the reservation" she said softly "He told me that the Quileute don't like the Cullens"

"I think Cindy mentioned some prejudices" I said.

"Hmm" she eyed me "You don't know, do you?"

"Know what?"

"What he is?"

"He is different" I said. "And good" I defended. "And misunderstood…"

"He is a vampire" she pierced the protection bubble I was forming easily and I stopped abruptly, she stopped too.

"Hey sweet heart" a gruff voice called from behind us. We both turned around and saw a man tailing us, and I noticed how we had moved through a deserted street… the buildings looked out of use. Isabella took out her phone and looked at the confusing map we had been trying to use to locate the restaurant. It was, indeed at the other side and the shortcut was, indeed through a quieter part of town.

"Let's move" I grabbed her hand and we walked faster.

"Don't be like that..." another voice said. I paused, realising we were being followed and the sun had dipped into the horizon.

There were three men, all holding beer bottles, following us from across the road. We were down town, a few feet away from all the seedy bars.

We walked quickly and in silence and they followed. I glanced behind me and only saw two of the guys. They were ambling behind us, keeping up easily but not planning on catching up to us. That made me panic, I felt like I was some poor gazelle being stalked by a lion.

"Babe, come on..."

I started running and Isabella did too, my breath catching in my throat and my heart hammering in my chest. We were in trouble.

We went through a little ally way, and I recognized it miraculously as the one that led to the boutique we had left Jessica and Angela in. I turned my head to see if the men were following us. They had stopped at the mouth of the ally way.

We ran through a bush, brushing against the branches and I tried my best not to trip. We got to the ally way's exit and stopped. I looked back at the ally way and heard no footsteps but when I turned around I realized why.

They had gone through a short cut. They had herded us to this desolate docking area in front of an abandoned factory. They were not three men but five and all of them appeared to have been drinking.

"Baby, why you playing hard to get" slurred a voice behind us. I jumped away, spinning around to glare at the man.

He blocked my path towards the ally way. There were six of them and they idled around us, forming a loose circle. They kept inching closer around us.

"We just want to have fun" a man said in front of Isabella. He looked at her greedily, his stance excited, shifting from foot to foot. His eyes were dark and his head sat on a thick neck. His neck was a permanent angry red. I could tell that this man was not drunk. This man had an agenda... a very _conscious_ one.

"Lonny, you were right" slurred a man on his right, pointing at her with his beer bottle. "She's hot"

"Yeah, I told you, you have to have a broad selection to truly enjoy 'em" Lonny said thoughtfully, he took two large steps towards her and but turned his eyes to me and pushed me hard.

I stumbled back, tripping but managed to stay up right. He touched Isabella's face and she slapped him hard across the face but it would never be hard enough. He slapped her back and she fell over, hard on the ground. I rushed at him, wishing it was like with the stairs but it wasn't; it never came. I couldn't control it but I couldn't not do anything either; he slapped me too. I fell. Isabella had risen up, and this time she kicked him swiftly in his privates. This landed her a definite punch. And she crashed beside me, unconscious.

I stood still, bracing myself as he came again at me as I rose up, pushing me to get back on the hard road but this time I barely moved.

"You got some fight in you huh?" he sneered, smiling a disgusting yellow smile. "That'll make _everything_ more fun"

"Hey, Lonny... maybe we should just let them go now man. We've had our fun" one guy said, sensing that things were taking a turn for the worst.

"The fun has only begun, _friend_ " he seethed.

He started undoing his belt, a sickening smile spreading over his face.

"I'll teach you two to embarrass Lonny" he said sweetly. He was unzipping his pants and I was paralysed. Staring in horror.

"Lonny...?"Someone asked hesitantly.

He gripped my neck and I croaked. "I'll start with you" he handled me easily to the ground and I fought futilely.

Lonny leaned over me and pushed my legs apart with his knee. I felt like I was watching outside my body. It wasn't me who was lying on the cold tar road, surrounded by drunken men and about to be raped. It wasn't me...

A fierce sound erupted around us and Lonny paused his struggle. It was thunder I thought but it was too concentrated. I closed my eyes, thinking how I had such bad luck; thinking that it was almost like death had always been looking from me… since that night in the club.

"Get off her!" the thunder… no, _Edward_ roared _._

My eyes snapped open and Lonny got up off of me. I immediately turned to Isabella but as I reached her I looked up.

His eyes glowed gold, that face that had seemed ethereal standing with me in the forest a few days ago had a glorious rage on it; so inhuman, it seemed to consume him and it was almost like I had never seen him before.

"Bella!" I shook her shoulders but she was slumped on the cold road. Behind us, the men had quieted.

"What…" Lonny began but the others had already started backing away; they were about to run from Edward, I knew it. The sound he made that had stopped their advance, it came again; like a tiger's snarl. They ran and Lonny was running with them. They ran fast but they left an unconscious Bella… blood trickled from the crown of her head.

"She's hurt" I told Edward but he hadn't moved-not towards us and not away from us. Her blood was in the air, sweet. I touched her forehead, wiping it with the sleeve of my cardigan. The chill slinked in to my bones, the road was wet.

I looked at him and felt that chill vibrate through every bit of my being.

He couldn't see me, his eyes trained on Isabella; the yellow glow gone and a silvery black light shone from them.

My heart banged in my chest like it wanted to escape, it beat so fast it hurt. He rushed to her and I rushed to him; never as fast nor could I ever hope to be as strong as Edward Cullen.

I rammed into him hard, disconcerted him into a pause; I was in pain, a lot of it… and I was flying away from him. I landed hard on the road, the pain intensified.

"Danielle!?" he cried out. He was next to me in the next second, his hand hovered-the dark was in his eyes but he was there too.

"I'm fine…" I shooed his hand, getting up shakily. I was fine, scraped and bruised but unharmed. "We need to get Bella to a hospital"

He looked back at her. "I can't" he said stiffly. "I have to… go"

"No…!" I protested.

"You are near the restaurant" he was cold; unfeeling "If you try her, she _will_ wake up. She isn't that badly hurt…" his eyes drifted to my arm-it was bleeding from the fall. He looked almost paler than his usual ghost-boy self. "Danielle, I am not a hero" he whispered, backing away-still giving Isabella wary glances as though she was a threat. "Wake her; make your way left… Jessica is waiting for you. She will take you to the hospital"

He disappeared then.

Xx~xx~xX

"Are you okay?" Cindy's eyes were wide on my face. It was the third time she had asked and this time I obliged her with more than a weak head nod.

"I'm just a little bruised"

It wasn't a little, it was a lot and it wasn't only from being struck by Lonny; a lot of it came from smashing into Edward… who, wasn't here; I could not tell Chief Swan that Edward was the reason his only child was safe.

"Carlisle?" Cindy called the moment Doctor Cullen emerged from Isabella's room. I had been treated by another doctor, something I thought was deliberate but that might have been paranoia too. Doctor Cullen came over, innocently enough and smiled sadly at me.

"I am so sorry Danielle" his voice meant it, his eyes warm but dark "Did she talk to a counselor?" this he asked of Cindy. Cindy replied, I had stopped paying attention and he only gave me a few more concerned glances; my expression had shifted a little but still I wore the scowl.

Carlisle did not seem to know about Edward's involvement… this I think, I could be certain of but most of my anger came from how defenseless I had felt; how useless it all was until that moment that Edward was about to attack Isabella.

"Could I have Edward's number" I startled both Cindy and Carlisle. "Just… I need someone to talk to. Aside from Bella, he is my only friend here"

"Oh, Edward pushed you out of the way of that truck right?" Cindy piped and I nodded tersely.

"Of course" Carlisle smiled but there was hesitation in his eyes. He said the number slowly to me and I punched it into my little not-so-smart phone.

"Can we go home?" I asked Cindy. "I am fine"

"Sure" she smiled apologetically at Carlisle. "Thank you"

Xx~xx~xX

He would leave. I knew it in my bones.

It was late-in the dark mornings, it was raining and I was miserable.

Vampire. The word was wrapped up in the image of Edward launching himself towards Isabella, it was wrapped up in fear and in its shadowy mystery red eyes glowed brilliant. I was pacing in my room; I hadn't changed and I felt contaminated. The feeling inside my heart was terrifying, a sadness and a fear; a helplessness to this very world I lived in; all the Lonnys lived in it and none of the Edwards.

We were from different worlds.

I threw my phone dejectedly on my bed. Six missed calls, a thousand messages… and a gaping hole in my heart. Cindy had called my grandmother despite my begging her not to.

"Shower" I breathed. Burn the clothes, I thought. I could live like this, I could let this go; maybe it would fade away like everything else had in my earlier life.

Xx~xx~xX

X

Xx~xx~xX

 **EDWARD**

"Edward…" she bolted upright in her bed, her eyes wide on me. She had only just drifted into a sleep and I thought her little window trap was ingenuity at its highest, if I were not a vampire burglar. So she had been more certain that I had been in her room?

I studied her and she studied me for a while; her in her bed and I in the middle of her room. I had flicked the light on before I woke her, deciding that darkness may not help matters. I waited for her to scream, for her to tremble but she said nothing more, her cobalt eyes on my face.

How does one say goodbye?

"You are leaving?" she sighed. It may not have been that difficult a conclusion for her to come to but it did strange things to know, that she knew me enough to determine this. "You are leaving" her eyes went down to her hands in front of her. There were scrapes on them, a bruise on the side of her face.

"I shouldn't even be here" I told her. "I thought… leaving quietly would do; my family would inquire once I was in Alaska… I could explain to them that it was all too much in the end" I was confessing something, to her and myself. I hadn't been home naturally, Esme would have made more of a scene than could be contained and Rosalie would have had my head; the 'I told you so's' would have been unbearable but no more than my ego at thinking I was stronger than my thirst for Isabella… stronger than my pull to Danielle.

"Carlisle called me after he saw you" I went on. I looked down, I was soaking her carpet. "I may have dirtied your carpet" I breathed.

"You are wet from head to toe" she said.

"I was going to leave without… well…" I didn't finish, no longer brave enough to look at her. I hated everything about me and I wanted to feel the ice cold I had felt in my soul at the realization that I had almost killed Isabella again, that I had almost killed Danielle too; it would have ended that way. The monster would have seen to it.

"Am I a vampire?" she asked suddenly and my eyes did meet hers, wide and confused.

"No!" it was almost automatic but behind my rush of an answer was a distress that she now knew. "You aren't like me" I said "I have told you a thousand times. You are you, and I fear that maybe I am making you sick. Maybe some other vampire made you sick before?"

I had confessed it all with little inhibition and I watched, shaken and terrified; of her and of myself and the abandon coursing through the air; she got out of bed.

"I have to leave, don't you see?" I breathed. "I almost killed Isabella…!"

"Too much was happening" she said. She was moving towards me, a t-shirt so large that I couldn't tell if she wore anything under it-my mind easily compartmentalized that thought and ran it over the panic and desperation I was sure we were both feeling.

"Isabella is a weakness. She calls to that side of me" the words moved fast, I was unsure if she caught them. "I think my being near you makes you sick. One can only either be human or vampire; we all had latent abilities as humans, I think you pull on to supernatural beings and I make you sick."

She was in front of me, small and warm.

"I make you sick and I can't expose my family, I came so close to that. Isabella dead, you would have been dead too, Danielle…" I wanted to weep and maybe, in another lifetime I would have as her arms went around me and her head rested on my chest.

"Please don't leave me"

 **AUTHORS NOTE:**

 **If you followed the initial Lightning I am sure you are noticing the difference more pronounced now. Please leave reviews and thoughts, criticism is more than welcome**

 **Xx**

 **tj**


	7. Magnetic

**MAGNETIC**

 **Xx~xx~xX**

 **X**

 **x**

 **DANIELLE**

I had squeezed my eyes open, woken up momentarily with a serene mind to all that had happened the previous day and then it had hit me-a flood of _everything_ ; I was upright, I was looking at the chair he had been sitting in as I sleepily talked to him… and he wasn't there.

The cold panic I felt had wrecked me into a standstill, and as I rushed around the house to gather my bearings of what was an what wasn't … Cindy's words were cold water over the end of the world.

"You… what?"

I couldn't move. Cindy sipped her coffee calmly, avoiding my eyes altogether and in a controlled voice she said sternly "I care about you. I want what's best for you Danielle and maybe having Grandma here will be good. For a week or so"

I was still in the middle of my panic at Edward's absence and her words were like gasoline over my feelings.

"You don't know her" I breathed. I was out of breath, my heart pounding. "She is…"

"She protected you" she cut me severely. "She protected me. She protected my mother"

"I know that" I retorted.

We stared at each other for a moment. She sipped her coffee steadily, closed her eyes and with such self-righteous wisdom she breathed "I was broken by Thomas too"

"I wasn't off drinking and partying with Isabella!" I growled. "We were shopping for… dresses"

"You said you weren't going to the dance?"  
"She made me change my mind" I lied, clenching my jaw. She didn't buy it.

"What happened in Texas?"

"This is not _that_!" my fears were welling up; would she send me away? Was I too much? A burden…? I backed away from her, my hands shaking a little. "I'm going to get ready for school"

"You don't have to go"

"I know"

Xx~xx~xX

I was already running late but I probably could get away with it. My scrapes had healed somewhat-a little too quickly, I knew this much and so did Cindy but we both ignored it. I could ride my bike. I wanted to be away from home and I had little hope of seeing Edward; I had to guard myself from disappointment.

I had to make an effort to heal and be normal, and maybe like Cindy who had also lived through Thomas, I could make something of myself. The difference between Cindy and I is that she had had her mother; her sane and normal mother who could give her sane and normal. I had had my grandmother; and from before we had lived with Thomas… and the very little I could recall of my life before then…

It was anything but sane and normal.

It was paranoia; it was consistent moving and praying, and demons and blank memories.

The jumper clashed heavily with everything on me but I didn't care. "Vampire" I looked at myself in the mirror and blinked. The bruise on the side of my face was still pronounced. "Demon" I said experimentally and I shuddered.

The panic was rising again. Grandmother-Pangra-was on her way to Forks. I pushed that at the back of my mind and grabbed my bag…

I was going to be normal and sane.

Xx~xx~xX

When I got downstairs, Cindy was already there, a plate with buttered toast waiting in her hand. "Look, it's just for a week or two" she sighed. I nodded stiffly, taking the toast from her. "Are those my jeans?"

I looked down in fake surprise, as though I didn't know I had taken her skinny jeans. I wore them with combat boots and the horrendous jumper my grandmother had knitted for me one Christmas.

"I haven't had a chance to do laundry" I said eventually. She smiled and brushed my hair with her fingers before taking of her hair tie and placing it in my hand.

"Tie your hair" she smiled. "Battle scars" she reached under my chin and surveyed the bruise. I tied my hair while she watched; she was in a lighter mood and that whittled the dread away somewhat.

"Bye" I called behind, heading out and to the shed to get my bike.

Cindy had reclaimed her car and was pressuring me into getting a job and buying my own. I was yet to spare brain time on that subject. I hobbled down, trying to eat my toast and secure my backpack on to my back.

"Do you need a ride to school today?"

I slipped on the damp grass five feet away from the shed and was about to fall backwards when Edward caught me.

"I thought we agreed no more fatal accidents" he said, smirking and arranging me easily so I was standing up right again. My piece of toast was still in my mouth throughout all of this.

I took it out and threw it angrily at a bush. "You were gone!" I accused, poking his chest hard. "I thought… you were… gone!"

"Yes…" he looked perplexed "I had to change clothes?"

My hand stopped midair but I was still livid but with no grounds to hold that anger on.

"You thought I had left you… that I had left Forks?" he asked, somber now. I nodded tersely, wheeling around and continuing for the shed, as I was about to open it he breathed "Don't be stubborn, not today Danielle" his hand went for the handle and we touched. He snatched it back while mine burned from his coldness and something else.

"I really don't feel comfortable with you riding your bike to school" he said. I had not opened the door but my hand went around the handle after a moment "You can barely manage your feet let alone two wheels"

He laughed quietly at my irritation and pulled the hem of my jumper's sleeve. He stopped when I complied and released the handle and looked me over, his eyebrow raised and his crooked grin appearing slowly on his face.

"Interestingly bright jumper...?" he was caught between confusion and humor "It doesn't look warm though?"

"Okay fine" I ignored him, although he was right on the warmth front and walked to his car. "Just… no appearing out of nowhere and disappearing without a word"

Xx~xx~xX

X

Xx~xx~xX

 **EDWARD**

"Wear the jacket" I instructed, tilting my head to the jacket hanging on the passenger seat. She looked at it and then went back to looking out the windscreen. "You aren't warm" I pressed. I looked at her; she was sulking and the bruise was on her face.

The guilt crashed through me and I was about to go back to what she thought was stupid; I was bad for her, I made her sick. I hurt her.

"You've healed pretty fast" I said through gritted teeth.

"Yes, I'm fine" this was almost a scolding; she knew the place my observation had come from. "You do not make me sick" she dropped pretense "You don't"

"Put the jacket on" I had promised to drop it; for her sake and mine. The only reason I had not left-the true reason, was that no one had seen me but her. Isabella had been out cold but it was too close… I would never forget the smell of that blood out in the air.

My fingers tensed around the steering wheel. "Put it on" I all but growled as though alleviating her from cold could make up from almost killing her; could atone me from that bruise on her face and the many more I was sure were hidden under the atrocious flimsy red and green jumper.

She complied, her expression a little surprised. She removed the sweater over her head, and I saw that she wore nothing but a tanktop. It was such a different look for her (possibly because I had only ever bore witness to hoodies and baggy t-shirts) and although she was seated there, in the passenger seat; I could imagine what it would look like if she were standing; the tanktop, the tight jeans and the boots.

I flicked my gaze back on to the road.

The jacket was on and she was sulking further.

"This is complicated" I told her. "I don't mean to be… erratic…"

She scoffed.

"I don't want to make you… go through this" I said. "I am being selfish. I ought to leave you well alone"

"Don't presume to know what's good for me" she snapped. " _Everyone_ presumes to know what is good for me"

"Are we going to talk about the cat?" I asked carefully. We were at the school and she had reached behind to get her bag. She froze her eyes on my face.

"No" she snapped, the door was opened. "No" she repeated, shutting the door with too much force. In her anger, she failed to notice the stares as she came out of Edward Cullen's car in Edward Cullen's jacket. I thought about rushing to her and making her slow down, but we had biology first… she would be forced to simmer down.

Xx~xx~xX

There was a lot to think about; I had revealed without a doubt what I was to Danielle. She had a word for it, she knew of it-what I was. What my family was. It was as though a weight had been lifted in part, for it was a heavy weight to pretend for so many people and for so long to be anything but this; evil.

The secret, however, was not mine alone to share and as I passed Rosalie and Emmett in the hallway, my beautiful conceited sister gave me such a threatening scowl and vicious thoughts. Emmett smiled apologetically for her knew now, that what was done was done and that, Danielle was important to me.

I had expected Rosalie's reaction (I had avoided her on my return home), I knew where Jasper and Alice's temperaments would lie; I even expected Jennifer's own thoughts of Danielle stepping out from my car but what I hadn't expected as I walked through the corridor unhurriedly to Biology was to be intercepted by Isabella Swan.

I had fed, debauched on blood but in my musing and her suddenness and that accursed mute mind of hers… I was stunned into a standstill near the entrance to Biology.

"Hello Edward" she said softly. The shock was on my face, reflected in her brown eyes. I had stopped breathing, panic coursing through me. I thought I was stronger, ready… especially since I had managed to pull myself away that night; I hadn't wanted to be away from Danielle today… or any other day, I feared.

I nodded tersely.

"I thought…" she bit her lip, the blood pooled and spread. It was in her cheeks; it was creeping and stalking me from under her skin. Her eyelashes fluttered, her heart beat was raised and the venom pooled in my mouth. "You know the dance is coming up and girls ask the boys?"

Another terse nod from me.

Her hands wrung each other.

I could spare a sentence, I thought. Or more. I _could_ do this; I was certain I wouldn't harm her; Alice would have been by my side by now-Isabella had obviously planned to ask me today and I had planned to take Danielle to school with me.

What did she want? I lamented but I analyzed her words and fear welled in the pit of my stomach.

"I may not go" I braved. She looked momentarily disappointed but charged on.

"If you do go, I think we should go together"

"Why?" I asked abruptly.

"Has Danielle… not said anything?" she fluttered her eyelashes again. We were closer to the entrance and I looked up to where Danielle was seated. Tyler was sitting in my spot, asking her about her weekend; why she had not been to La Push and how he heard about Isabella and her attack. He was about to ask her to the dance.

"She mentioned a few things" I recalled begrudgingly Isabella's name being mentioned to quell Lauren's dismay that I chose Danielle over every other girl. That was what it looked like, wasn't it?

 _That was what it was…_ a voice inside me said and the dread in my stomach heated up.

"…I forgot my jumper" Danielle was explaining to Tyler why she was wearing a man's jacket. He worried if she was dating me and then disregarded it; Isabella was superior and I would surely choose Isabella. He pushed on and so did Isabella.

"So if you do decide to go?" Isabella smiled. I looked at her and yes, she was pretty; brown eyes and pale smooth skin; mahogany hair; she was slightly taller than Danielle but very slim with dainty curves as compared to Rosalie… and Danielle when she wasn't draped and swathed in atrocious jumpers and hoodies…

"If I go I will go with…" I was about to say Danielle but Tyler had just asked Danielle, who flicked her eyes up at me briefly and saw the flirting Isabella.

Danielle said yes.

"My family" I said coolly. I walked away from her and towards Tyler. "You are in my spot" I growled. He felt terror but his elation at Danielle's 'yes' overrode it somewhat. He moved away, apologetically and gave Danielle a wide and bright smile.

"I was wondering…" he wanted to sit next to her.

"No" I cut him, taking my seat. I put my books out and moved unnecessarily close to Danielle. This bothered him but he disregarded it, and walked away.

She had said yes to him.

The teacher entered, pulling in an ancient TV and VCR. He was skipping through a section he wasn't particularly interested in by showing a movie for the next three days. No notes, no tests. Three free days. The humans' exulted while I seethed and boiled. She was bewildered at my anger and so was I.

I did not pull my chair away from hers but sat as close as any human would; although Tyler was entirely to blame for my anger… Isabella had poked the monster. It was as though she had made my body burn through all the blood.

I could feel Danielle's heat on my side and I braved breathing. Once I did, I regretted not banishing Isabella's scent with Danielle's spice earlier. I breathed in deeply, and she peeked at me. It was a strange experience, both enjoyable and nerve wracking. It was more than I was used to but I quickly realized it was not enough. I was not satisfied. Being this close to her only made me want to be closer still.

And then the lights were turned off.

The difference in the air was exponential, although it did little to hinder my eyesight. I could see as perfectly as before, the room was clear for me. So why the sudden shock of electricity in this room that was dark, but not dark for me? Was it because I knew I was the only one who could see clearly?

I looked over to Danielle and saw that her eyes were trained ahead, too focused and determined.

My hand twitched, moving towards her without my permission. I snatched my hand back, folding my arms over my chest and clenching my rebellious fingers into stern fists.

No more mistakes. A new kind of craving was wreaking havoc in me, working overtime to undermine my control.

Danielle folded her arms over her chest and her fists balled. _What are you thinking?_ I wanted to whisper but the silence was such that I couldn't get away with that.

The movie began, lighting up the darkness just a bit, and Danielle looked up at me. She noted the rigid way I held my body-just like hers-and smiled. Her lips parted slightly and her eyes seemed full of warm invitation.

Or perhaps I was just seeing what I wanted to see.

I smiled back and her breath caught. She turned away viciously, her hair escaping from her awkwardly done ponytail and fanning with the sudden motion. Peach spice enveloped me and I had to release my hands to grip the table.

Between her and me, the throbbing electricity hummed.

She didn't move at all through the hour, holding her stiff, controlled pose as I held mine. Occasionally she would peek at me and the humming electricity would jolt through my body.

The uncertainty if what I was feeling was completely one sided had raged through me. All I could hear was her yes to Tyler and recalled her aversion to going to the dance in the first place. The question seeped through over all my nerves; had she reconsidered because it was Tyler that had asked?

I had a dozen different arguments with myself as the minutes passed, rationality struggling within me; these were silly worries.

I watched her lips form a thin controlled line, her breathing consciously controlled but her heart doing an alluring tango inside her chest. Her rising and falling curved chest...

She turned her head a fraction, peering at me through hooded feather duster eyes and I gulped. She turned her head stiffly back to the ancient monitor and I watched as her lips went lax, parting slightly and releasing their fullness in a velvety pout.

Silly worries and yet they seemed to swell like a tide and swallow the thirst, the exposure of vampires… they swallowed everything and left a clean sandy beach.

The lights went on as we ended the first session of the lesson and the atmosphere returned rapidly to normal. In the bright fluorescent light I could see the crimson mahogany tint of her cheeks; she was flustered.

She stretched her hands, splaying the dainty digits on the table top and arched her back. She flexed her fingers, stretching and sighing. It must have been uncomfortable for her to hold that position for long. It was easier for me-stillness came naturally. She picked up her hair tie and redid her hair once again in a loose pony that would surely come undone at a point during the day.

I chuckled at the relieved expression on her face. "That was interesting"

"Uhm" she replied.

"I guess its gym now" I murmured. I looked back at the classroom, to Tyler. I fixed the collar of the jacket she wore.

"I guess so" she mumbled.

We walked in smooth silence, her heart being the only thing alerting me to the thoughts she _may_ be having; it would pick up suddenly, thudding hard and violently against her chest and then slow back to its normal rhythm. It felt like she did it on purpose; impossible but why make me wonder…?

That electricity that had passed between us, in its brief form and intense concentration had fuelled my hunger. Had driven me past thirst and starvation and opened up my eyes to the new sustenance I craved. I wanted to touch her supple skin.

"Why are you frowning" she asked when we reached the door to the gym, her own forehead creased as she looked at me.

Because I want to touch you so badly it hurts and I have turned into this starving despicable being…?

"My sister wants to converse with you" I said instead, hearing Alice's thoughts as she skipped our way.  
"Hello…" Alice chirped stopping between us, peering up at Danielle from her short height.

"I know you already know that I know you know who I am" Alice sang smiling. "Shall we enter this hall and watch the dismal match they are about to play?"

"Uh…" Danielle was extremely confused.

"Oh, you will be playing at some point but we will have plenty of time to chat…" Alice smiled at her, herding us in.

"You get used to her" I whispered to Danielle.

Xx~xx~xX

"So Alice is… psychic?"

"Well…" I laughed "Her visions are subjective; influenced by concrete decisions and such"

"Oh"

I was taking her home, a long day of her and I adjusting to our new dynamic now that the vampire was out of the bag. In the back of my mind I wondered; was I being selfish? Was I making her sick and doing so selfishly because…

Because why?

"You are going to the dance with Tyler?" I parked the car next to the blue Mercedes, ignoring her cringing at the action. She would rather I have dropped her off and not made a show of it… Cindy peeked from the kitchen, her eyes large when she saw the Volvo; her mind spluttered when she realized Danielle really was friends with me-it seems she had had her doubts on that proclamation.

"I wasn't going to go at all but Cindy and I…" she turned her head away from me briefly "She thinks… she thinks I went wild or something. And I have to convince her that I went with Bella to look at dresses"

"Cindy's father is a raging alcoholic" she sighed. "I lived with him before… I came here. It got a bit too much; being yelled at and all the warring. I wanted to just… be normal. Sane. I guess I went about it the wrong way, with the wrong people. I went out one night and… all I remember is the red eyes in the club. Well, Thomas found me… he took me home and all hell broke loose. So I left and came here"

She waved her hand at the house. Cindy had long abandoned the window but had formulated a grand plan to make a meal and invite me for dinner. I could hear the commotion in the kitchen; Danielle was subdued in her memories and devoid of any supernatural hearing at present.

"So you are going to the dance to convince Cindy that you are normal?" I asked.

"And my grandmother" she looked down at her hands. "She will be around. I can't be all depressed and weird" her eyes glanced up at me "I have to try…" she smiled "Like you… letting Mike hit you over the head with that ball"

I smiled at her. I thought of pressing the Tyler front, and almost let it go but in honor of the electricity from Biology today, I sighed "You couldn't ask _me_ to the dance?"

She blinked, confused.

"Instead of Tyler"

"Isabella likes you, I have told you this" she huffed "Already this jacket has me in a lot of trouble" she began removing the jacket, looking around her. "Where did I throw…?"

Before she finished her sentence I had placed her jumper on her lap. "Oh" she smiled sheepishly.

I leaned my head back and closed my eyes "I am not going with Isabella"

"Wh…" she stammered and I laughed.

"Unlike you…" I breathed, leaning across her to open her door once she had put her jumper on "I don't make it a habit of setting myself on fire just to keep others warm"

The door was open, the cool air swept in and her spice engulfed me. Her eyes were on my face and we were too close; my eyes flicked to her mouth and back to her eyes of their own accord. This scared me. I moved back abruptly.

My breathing was up, needlessly. Hers too, I noted. "You should go… unless you want to have Cindy invite me in"

She shivered, the door open but made no move. "But…?"

I closed my eyes, fearing her words… but they came out and everything in me was alight once more; burning and coiling.

"Can you come over… tonight?"

"Yes, of course"


	8. Irrevocable

**IRREVOCABLE**

 **EDWARD**

"It isn't our place to worry" I sighed. "Rosalie and I have never really been that close and to top it all off, she likes Forks. She is just worried this will all force us to move. It won't. Alice is almost certain"

She didn't buy it, casting me a narrowed look before walking slowly to the window. She hadn't put up any booby-traps tonight; but had still been curious as to how I claimed to use the window when she could neither hear me nor catch me in the act. She touched the sill experimentally before opening the window.

The air came in, I was sure it was chilly but she didn't immediately close the window although she shivered after a moment. I tensed; I was afraid she would try to jump out. I casually walked over to her and with exaggerated calm, closed the window. She was startled, looking up at me.

"Although we don't kill people, we are still dangerous. You saw this… with Isabella" I said. "It doesn't take a lot for our nature to come out and well, being in Forks is good. We can stay for a lot longer than other places"

"Alice doesn't react to Isabella like you do" she said.

"Isabella is… my weakness. We all have a human out there who is our weakness I guess"

She was quiet, sitting on her bed heavily. She wore sweatpants and a baggy t-shirt, her hair un-brushed and wild around her round child-like face. She frowned deeply, trying to understand something and I laughed.

"What?" she blinked.

"Staying out of your mind is at times, a chore" I sat next to her "You have no idea the control it takes to not invade your privacy"

"I'd know if you tried" she smiled.

"Well, you could get headaches that have nothing to do with my probing?" I winked "Being human and all, headaches come and go"

She pouted, assessing how serious I was. "You'd get a headache too"

"You should know how puzzling it was for me… that white noise…" I sighed. I wanted to touch her hair, touch her temple as though to stroke her strange mind. My hand twitched, and the electricity started to spark. "It's funny, to be rendered despondent by Isabella's blood and muteness and yet the torture of you is at times, worse; to taste your mind and never truly know it is worse. Pushed away…"

Her eyes were blue, absorbed with my face.

"And yet drawn to it…" I couldn't speak anymore. My eyes flicked from her eyes to her supple mouth and back, then again to her lips twice, and that pull came over me so strong and the electricity coursed hard and I remembered what I was and what she wasn't; and I was unsure and afraid-falling into her eyes while she fell right back into mine…

"Huh?!" she gasped when I was by the window in the next instance. I opened the window briefly to move her scent through every other smell; her heart was pounding and mine was _dead_.

"Vampires are dangerous" I closed the window carefully. "We are built to kill. We are hypnotic. We are enchanting; nothing about us can be trusted… not what you see and not what you _feel_ "

"Here we go…" she muttered, lying back on her bed.

"I can't even be sure if what you feel is indeed of your own choosing… right now" I was conflicted. "You could feel trusting of me simply because my nature compels you to do so"

"You are seriously over estimating your _nature_ " she sniggered "So what, I should not trust you? Or anything I feel…?"

Yes and no, I thought to say but I was now morbidly aware of what _I_ felt even if it was too complex or alien to give a name; something sinister in how spellbinding it was; it enclosed me in her. I remembered that fateful day I tried to be away from her and then had ended up stalking her through town… risking the sun, waiting for twilight and the darkness. I was not good for her but then again, it could be that she was not good for me?

"Can we talk about the cat" I diverted.

"No"

"Please?" I persisted. "I'm being open with you, am I not?"

"I killed him" she said stonily "He died"

"But the thirst… did it happen then, for the first time?"

"I keep telling you that you don't make me sick, Edward" she propped herself semi-up with her elbows. "That wasn't the first time"

"Maybe before it was because of that red-eyed vampire you saw at the club"

"I am not even sure it was a vampire!" she threw her hands up but her loudness had startled Cindy into stillness, and Cindy was now paying attention to the sounds coming out of Danielle's room. I placed my index finger on my mouth indicatively and she silenced. We looked at each other for a second, as she awaited my signal that all was okay.

"My memory on that is… odd" she said quietly "He was in the club… then he was in my room when I was a child, somewhere far away maybe in South America…"

This part I had never known.

"It's like a dream fighting to resurface and if I pull hard on it…"

"Headache?" I guessed and she nodded.

"Well, maybe you should go and get some shut eye if you want to be in tiptop shape tomorrow…" she started crawling into her bedding, yawning. "I'm sure you miss your bed"

I hadn't told her I don't sleep, I almost told her I had no bed but I was so insecure about what I was in the face and light of her blue eyes; vampire, monster… demon.

"Yes, you do need the energy if I am to hike with you… even if I will be doing all the work" I smiled and then chuckled lightly "I can't tell if you are kicking me out so I get some rest or maybe to see how I jump from the window?"

"I'm concerned" she smiled "but yes"

So I gave her a show, and when I landed on the ground and presented her a moment to reach the window in her awe… I waved goodbye, and ran into the woods and back home. Of all the tantrums and concerns, Esme had sealed my siblings support in one single conclusion; I wouldn't be leaving Forks soon.

Xx~xx~xX

X

Xx~xx~xX

He is so young, Cindy thought. He was young, palest ivory and devastatingly good looking.

Nurses were in love with him, some doctors too but _everyone_ respected Doctor Carlisle Cullen. It was hard not to; he was kind and compassionate and so hard working. It was hard not to but Billy Black, on one auspicious day that he had come to retrieve his medical file and discovered that Doctor Cullen had been treating him for free; Billy Black had told Cindy to not be dazzled like the rest of them, by Doctor Cullen. Billy wanted to be treated else-where but, having no medical aid and a skillful doctor as Carlisle seeing through his back injury had found himself bound to Forks Hospital.

And each time he came in, it was the same; the tension and the warning.

"Did you know…? Carlisle…" she tried for casual but her light nudge of his arm was awkward, for both of them as he paused his scribbling and evaluation of the file. He placed the file down and looked at her. He is married, she told herself.

"Know?" he asked her patiently.

"That Danielle… my cousin…" she smiled but her mind was spluttering "And your… Edward" son always felt strange to say even though Carlisle always talked of the teenagers he looked after as 'son' or 'daughter', with such naturalness that defied his youth. "Are friends?" she finished.

He placed the pen in the breast pocket of his white coat "I had my… suspicions, especially after the accident"

"It was nice of Edward to take Danielle to school the other day" Cindy pressed on. "He brought her home too. They seem really close"

"Yes, I suppose…" Carlisle thought for a moment, remembering something in what looked like a distant past "Edward has never found it easy making friends. He is so… exceptional. And well, Danielle is exceptional too. I can see the pull from that angle"

"I think it's great" Cindy almost clapped her hands "It's not easy… caring for teenagers. Well, you know how it is…"

She had begun following him absently through the corridor and slowed down, realizing how mundane her worries might be to the busy doctor. "Uh… I should probably go to _my_ office?"

"No, no…" Carlisle urged her on "Danielle has been a profound influence on Edward" he signaled her to enter his office with him, and so she did. The door was closed behind her. "Edward has episodes of well, wanting to leave the family" Carlisle said slowly, taking a seat behind his large desk. He leaned back, almost wearily. "You told me your cousin came to stay with you unannounced?"  
"Well, not unannounced as such" Cindy sat down opposite Carlisle, retrieving her bagel from her pocket. She signaled to share it with him but he smiled, raising a hand and patting his stomach.

"I ate in between patients"

"You actually found time for that?" Cindy laughed, nibbling on her bagel. "Well…" she went back to Danielle "She stayed with my father for some time. My grandmother would come and monitor things here and there but she is really old and my father… has issues. I don't know why my grandmother decided Danielle would be better off staying with my father"

"You were not surprised when she came then?" Carlisle asked.

"Not exactly…" Cindy sighed "Just the _drama_ that surrounds my father's side of the family…" she sighed, weary from just the memory of her mother's fights with her impossibly immature father. Thomas Nebari as she remembered him could be so loving one moment, and so scandalously vicious the next.

"Which is funny considering it's just him and grandma" she laughed. "They always talk of other family, from South America, I have never met any and it seems it was one thing Thomas-my father-was strict about. You see, when Danielle came to stay with me… he had started this theory that she was in touch with _them_ , which is not true but Thomas… well, he had even less patience for his dead sister's child so I guess… it was bound to blow up"

She leaned back, feeling relieved to have unloaded the chaos of the Nebaris. "It's easy talking to you, Doctor Cullen" she smiled.

"Oh come now, its _Carlisle_ " he laughed. "Edward found it hard being in Forks for a long time. I could say he was depressed, even when we were in Alaska. It hasn't been easy…" Carlisle paused, thinking yet again in a faraway manner "I can't say it is easier now and maybe, it's not _conventional_ to a degree… but I do feel Forks is kind of a safe haven for people from different walks"

"Yeah, if only Mr. Black felt that way" Cindy sighed.

"It's not hard when you were used to protecting your family and are put in a position where you can't anymore" Carlisle smiled "Being wheelchair bound is a challenge"

She didn't press the matter; it was more than Billy's below-the-waist paralysis; Carlisle always ignored the animosity and spoke fondly of Billy's only son.

Xx~xx~xX

X

Xx~xx~xX

 **EDWARD**

"Hey!" she shrieked.

She held the comb clumsily in her hand, staring at me with her mouth open. I couldn't help but smile at her anger and her pleasure at seeing me. "You said lunch time" she accused.

"I was bored at home" I fell on her bed. "Do you always take so long to shower?"

She ignored me and resumed tying her hair up, her eyes darting to me from the mirror. I was unsure if she was annoyed-it aggravated me for a moment but I was coming to terms that Danielle's main expression to a lot of things was a sprinkling of annoyance.

Maybe I didn't have as much of an effect as I thought I did. As Emmett had pointed out, it was possible I wasn't as scary as I had thought… if Isabella could be brave enough to ask me to the dance when it surely swam in my eyes; murderous intent.

She flung the comb at me when she was done "You promised no sudden appearances

"I apologize" I murmured, staring at the comb with a slight frown. "I apologize somewhat but your expression was worth it…"

"Hmm" she grumbled. "I could have been changing you know"

"That would have been most unfortunate" I chuckled not looking at her and placing the comb on her dresser.

"Did you jump up?" she asked. The technicalities of vampire dexterity fascinated her and I suppose, today she would have quite a treat outside of my super-fast running.

"I jumped" I sighed, touching her bed covers carefully. "You like the color purple?"

"Yeah, it's my favorite color"  
"Hmm" I murmured, picking up her purple alice-band "Something girlish?"

"Cindy got me that" her voice had dropped nervously and I ignored it, walking to her and placing the alice-band on her head; we couldn't let such reactions and trivial things affect us, could we? We were beyond spells at this point…

"Hmm" I breathed again "Alice would be most pleased…"  
"She needs to lay of my fashion sense" she grumbled, reaching for her backpack

"Wait, you came in your car right?"

"It's round the front and I will even let you drive it" I laughed, dangling my keys in front of her.

Xx~xx~xX

I placed her down carefully, needing to pry her hands from my neck just like before and looked at her. She seemed more daze than the first time I had run with her through the forest; the journey had been a lot further; we were deep in, far from the car; in the meadow Alice had seen-my meadow. "You look spooked" I told her.

"So you _are_ trying scare me!" she laughed but her act didn't last long; she swayed a little, just like the first time.

"Any normal person would be" I said somberly "You should have closed your eyes"

"No" she exhaled "That was… exhilarating"  
"The things you find entertaining worry me, Danielle" I sighed.

"The things _you_ find entertaining worry _me_ , Edward" she stretched a little and I laughed at that. All she had to do was hold on tight but I suppose the effort of that had been too much. "If I could do what you could do…"

She followed me as I walked her through the miniscule stretch to the meadow. Human coordination was aggravating but somehow, the steady pace and chattering soothing today.

"You don't want this" I said "You don't understand what it means to be a vampire'

"What does it mean?" she asked.

"Never aging…" I sighed "The thirst, the coldness"

"Sounds horrendous" she muttered.

"They never know what they have until it is gone, these mortals" I dashed forward and she gasped, searching for me in the trees and bushes. I was back in front of her the next moment, her eyes wide on my face "Change is good. Not changing… not so good. Trust me when I tell you there is a beauty in not knowing, in fear and surprise"

She mulled over what I said as we walked in silence. Occasionally she would tell me I was silly but in the moment-this moment-I had to be the _adult_ in knowing how _not_ silly I was.

"We are here" I told her but she was too busy watching me, as I moved from the shadows and past stray rays of sunlight. She gasped, her eyes wide. "Imagine never being able to walk through a park with others, to enjoy a sunny day at school…?"

She said nothing.

"Care to look?" I waved my hand around us.

She obliged but her eyes were still wide, still pulled to me. I hated it; the human awe now seeped into their blue depths; the monster had enchanted her out of her endearing senses.

Would she run screaming or would she be entrapped? The dilemma raged and the flickering of Alice's vision gave no upper hand to the situation; Alice's visions seemed so compromised of late when surrounding Danielle; ever since the attack of those men.

"My little piece of peace…" I whispered.

The thick trees we had walked through lay around the little clearing in an almost perfect circle; a luscious barrier of green and brown encroaching on soft emerald grass carpeting. A few large boulders lay almost purposefully opposite each other, tangled in vines and purplish flowers. Sprinkled all over the ground, through the grass were purple and white flowers swaying tranquilly in the soft breeze and medium sized chalky white rocks lay unbalanced around the space.

"Its… beautiful" she breathed, walking away from me and pivoting, eyes wide and in wonderment.

"I made it…" I said slowly "When we came back here…"

"Back?" she asked.

"Well, we have been in Forks before. Long ago" I was nervous.

"How… old are you?" she stuttered.

"Seventeen" I closed my eyes "But… I have been seventeen for close to a century"

"Hmm" her face was unreadable. I imagined myself, ninety and wrinkled standing with her in this place. Nothing beautiful came up in that imagination, nothing at all. Could she picture it too?

"Your piece of peace" she sighed, falling onto the grass and turning her head so she could still be looking at me. I felt wretched inside; so aware of all that had been lost and all that I had let slip when I indeed had been only but seventeen.

"You know that on the first day…" I said slowly and then paused closing his eyes and swallowing a breath "The first day Isabella walked into our classroom…"  
"We have spoken about that" she said hurriedly, already nervous at the direction my angst was taking us "And if you even say 'monster' then I am too; I killed my cat"

"What would you have done1" I hissed so suddenly, rushing to her. She sat up and met my eyes, her heart ramming in her chest. Her hand was raised, hovering over my face and I pushed it down; gently but she felt the strength. "Nothing"

"I would have…"

"Nothing!" I said and her eyes went round "Dead. Everyone would have been dead!"

"And me?"

"Yes, you too" I said. "If you had attacked Isabella, you would have been pulled off. You would have been restrained. You see, nothing could have stopped me; not reason and not compassion. Death"

"I would have killed everyone, Isabella, the teacher, Mike Newton… and you" I said calmly. "The classroom littered in lifeless bodies and I would have drank her blood and then walked out quickly, alerted my family and we would have disappeared from Forks-no justice served except for my conscious ruined for eternity"  
"Never!" she hissed.

"Oh, but yes" I laughed.

"Then why am I sitting here talking to you?"

"Because you saved me" I whispered, looking at my hands in shame "You saved me and maybe that was why you came in to class as late as you did that day, because not even Alice had seen it. Danielle you saved not just me but yourself, Isabella and that whole classroom. Red eyes mean a monster and I don't ever want to be that"

"You are not a monster Edward" she breathed and she touched my hand, of her own accord. I looked at our hands, different in so many ways; size, color, sex… species. Hers was nearing hot, impossibly soft.

I leaned back into the ground, a smile playing on my lips and closed my eyes; her hand had not been removed.

"A demon cursed with a conscious" I continued "It is what Carlisle thinks of us on a good day. He is my maker"  
"All of you?"

"Alice and Jasper have separate makers" I told her carefully. I could hear the little bells going off in my mind that I was saying too much, condemning her. I couldn't stop, somehow it was as though I had needed someone who was not a vampire to tell these things too; someone to share this little nuances that had been born in this eternity. "Esme, Rosalie and I we are from Carlisle's venom"

"Venom" she said the word in reverence. She began picking at grass blades near my forearm, the contentedness we fell into treacherous; I thought about the word 'trust', the feeling between us-could we trust the trust we felt?  
"It is like dying" I said stoically. "Unbearable fires spring from hell consuming you and you wake up to a different never ending burn; the thirst for blood. Human blood truly breaks a vampire to his most primal, nearly unstoppable state"  
"I take it Carlisle bit you? He tasted the human blood… and he stopped" she breathed.

"Yes" I breathed "He did. I was going to die anyway, Spanish influenza… what was there to lose?"

What indeed was there to lose? He had given me a second chance to do everything my feeble human mind had thought important and when I had awoken I found I _couldn't_ be that man I had aspired to be. I could vaguely recall the little details of my human world outside summarized feelings of patriotism and grand valor. I spared no thought to having a family or girls for that matter; it seemed it could all be done at a point.

"Have you fallen asleep?" she asked, prodding my arm.

"No" I smiled but never opening my eyes "We don't sleep, ever. I do envy the way humans can dream"

"Well, at least you are spared nightmares" she hadn't removed her fingers from my arm, tracing patterns lightly. Swirls, a pause, the letter D and then more swirls. It was so strange, I tried to recall if ever someone had touched me this way in my immortality and I shuddered; Tanya had been flirtatious once but of course her touch was not like a humans…

Not like Danielle's. Was she flirting? No, I thought not but the swirls and 'D's' did not desist and with them, the electricity tingled from somewhere far off.

"Maybe the man with the red eyes…" she broke the thrum of electricity momentarily as my wayward thoughts realized it was all innocent "The vampire" she corrected herself "Maybe he bit me"  
"You are not a vampire!" I hissed, rising swiftly from my peace and rounding on her. She was shocked by this but so was I. "Carlisle could help" I said much gentler.

"Please" I implored. This time I touched her resting hand and watched as my much larger one seemed to swallow it up. "You see me like this, you see my family and maybe you think vampires aren't… vampires. We are dangerous. I am dangerous. I am selfish too:

"You want me to walk around with the notion that you are a _hazard_ to me, lingering in the back of my mind?"  
"Something like that" I laughed bitterly.

"I'll try"

"You see…" I breathed, sitting by her feet carefully "You are thinking of danger in the sense of terrifying but that isn't even something a vampire needs to use. There is danger in trusting; there are ways I could make it impossible for you to even think of fighting me off until it is too late…"

I leaned over her legs, closer and deliberate-using my eyes to pull her into this point.

"It is in our allure…" I breathed "It is in our seduction of human prey…"

She reached over and touched my face, no thought to the action. Her eyes were so wide but I too felt compelled and with her touch and all the little touches we had been exchanging in the meadow, the electricity thrummed and that need was back; to touch further than skin and I saw in her eyes how my golden eyes darkened ever so slightly, the pupils constricting.

"When we intentionally pull in, attract and covet basic emotions, human emotions… the most _primal_ …"I murmured, my voice dropping to something husky and yet liquid. She leaned in with me, our eyes locked in a fierce battle to _not_ look away and her finger twitching by the corner of my mouth.

I breathed in once, her heart stuttering furiously and I went rigid; eyes darting to her lips; she smelt divine and I could feel the heat… I could see the vein by her neck, pushing up under the skin. So divine; peach and chai spice; if she were to melt in the wake of this blaze… she would be a pool of _gold_. I was but a sheet away from touching her and with a tilt of my head, she tilted her own so invitingly…

Our lips would brush and I could trail down her neck.

I pushed backward too fast, crashing into the boulder and filling the air with a deafening cracking bang.

"I apologize" I said after a moment.

I had to laugh at this, shaking my head while walking back to her slowly "When vampires compel it is usually much quieter and well, the end result would be…"

"Blood" she touched her long exposed neck. Her heart was deafening but my nerves were knotted in the cavity of my own chest; had we compelled each other?

"I thought I had that in control…" I laughed. "Well, now at least you know why I say you can't trust what you feel… ever"

"And you?" she asked but I was confused, raising an eyebrow. I reached my hand out to help her up, and she complied.

"Can you trust what you feel?" she asked.

Xx~xx~xX

There were a lot of things I shouldn't have done in this moment but the thought that there was any other danger outside of me, to Danielle had not occurred. Humans, yes. Rocks and nature, yes. Asteroids falling on her head, yes. But _other_ vampires… in Forks, were the scent of every one of my family marked the woods as our territory…

"I smelt the others" the taller male vampire murmured "You did to, Victoria?"

The red haired female nodded, her eyes locked to my own. "Does it matter Laurent?"

"There were many of them, six scents…" Laurent said softly. "James come off it, it's not worth it…."

It had felt like it could last another life time, an entire eternity but now as I stared into the red eyes of the vampire Victoria and Laurent-desperately trying to get to Danielle it was obvious how flimsy my happiness had been.

"James let her be…"Laurent whispered quickly, circling me with Victoria. "We don't need his entire coven tracking us for this one pet"  
"Hmm" James murmured, pretending to think things through. It didn't help that I was incapable of acting out indifferent, my every twitch alert to her-yearning to have safe. She rose up from where she had fallen, when James had ambushed us running from Victoria and Laurent; her arm was injured.

Her fragrance sifted through the air, permeating every molecule; that diverse scent escaping in blood was undeniable and every vampire snapped their heads in her direction and I hated myself for sharing in on her scents desirability, swallowing hard as the venom pooled in my mouth…

That did it. Any reason Laurent was attempting to give to James vanished and he absently took a step forward, away from me and towards the crouched James looming over Danielle.

"Get away from her!" I roared, charging ahead-knocking Laurent out of the way swiftly but James managed to dance away from me "Danielle?"

"I am fine" she insisted, her hand tainted red over her arms wound. I pulled her up easily, keeping a lock on the three vampires deliberating the prudence of losing their flimsy control for a human with a vampire protector and a large coven behind him.

"We apologize…" Laurent sighed-a dry sound that flitted through the air uselessly as his eyes remained locked onto Danielle's form behind me.

He backed away, signaling for James to do the same but the sandy haired vampire hesitated-angered by Laurent's authority in the matter and taking any retreat as a sign of submission. I listened horrified as each second I crouched in front of Danielle-growling and snarling-he took further interest in her; in us.

"You should leave…" I hissed at him. "Go to your coven… this is not worth it"

"You are rather cocky for a lone vampire" he laughed.

"You smelt the rest of my coven" I whispered "They are not far off…"  
"Your little bird will sing for her death one day" he laughed but he followed his coven back.

Xx~xx~xX

 **AUTHORS NOTE**

 **The one frustrating thing when starting some Edward fics is leading up to a point of complete breakaway from the twilight bella-blueprint, I apologize for it being a little bit of a cliffhanger but trying to get to that point without exceeding 5k words lol for the next chapter. Bella's part in all this won't be significant but she will have a substantial part as well as Jacob Black, maybe more so.**

 **Is Danielle like Renesme? I left easter eggs on**

 **Thank you for the support and reviews, criticism is aways welcome**

 **Xx**

 **TJ**

 **Leave a review ~.~,**


	9. Gravity

**GRAVITY**

Xx~xx~xX

Her heart beat painfully fast.

"The wound…" Edward's words moved fast over his lips and she lost them completely, his eyes frenzied. This scared her even more than anything; that his fear was still present when they were far from the danger now.

Carlisle's cold hands were holding her arm. She grimaced but made no sound.

"Danielle?" Carlisle held her gaze.

She heaved back and shuddered; she stilled her nerves as best as she could. A sheen of sweat formed over her skin and she felt like she was burning up.

The wound had healed, and a pink fleshy patch resembling bite marks sat burningly on her brown skin, surrounded by her drying blood. They had resolved to carry on their panic in such a fast tempo, she couldn't keep up with them.

"You have a fever" she was told by Carlisle after a minute. She glanced at Edward; his hands were in his hair, his eyes wide and the honey had been dashed to black.

"You could… suck it out?" Edward said slowly, and for a moment Danielle thought she saw hope on his face "Bite into her and suck the venom out" Edward finished, an odd smile on his face.

They both looked at her then.

"I feel nauseous" she stated, wiping her brow; she wasn't going to be able to keep the hurling at bay, it was coming…

"I don't think we should keep talking…" Edward snapped. He took her arm, she half expected him to be rough about it but instead he raised it gently to Carlisle "Bite into her!" he commanded. Although his grip was gentle, she had begun to tug to free herself but to no avail.

"She healed Edward, it's in her system…"

"Do it" she agreed, not sure what she was agreeing to. She wanted to ask why Edward couldn't do it but thought it was inconsequential; in the face of Edward's fear she believed, that in turning into a vampire there could only be misery.

Carlisle raised her arm to his mouth and aligned her brand new still-hurting scar to his teeth and bit. It stung, not just from the tear of the skin and the pain of his teeth being in her flesh momentarily; but the venom-Carlisle's venom. He sucked and she flinched, instinctually tugging to free herself but just as Edward's grip had been gentle and titanium… she had no hope.

Edward left with a quiet shut of the door.

Xx~xx~xX

"Will Carlisle's eyes be red?" she asked softly. Her arm was stitched and wrapped.

"He didn't ingest that much of your blood" Edward just wouldn't look at her. They were in his room; it was a reserved size in comparison to how large their mansion was, facing the woods with a large window for a wall. There was no bed, the couch she sat on was a muted golden color and opposite them was a walling of shelves stacked with books and CDs.

"I'm sure I have healed already" she raised her arm and smiled at him, only he faced the woods and would not look at her.

"Carlisle will take you home. I have to follow up on Jasper and Emmett" his voice was cold. "I will check on you after that"

Xx~xx~xX

She almost missed his presence in her room, her anger simmering. Down below, in the living room, the men from the reservation where still convincing Cindy how _wrong_ it was for her to hang out with a Cullen… she could not get over how they _obviously_ knew what the Cullens were; Sam's revulsion and Jacob's indignation.

"It was an accident… we went hiking" that was all she had managed to say. She understood now why Carlisle had refused to enter, simply stating that "My presence will probably worsen the situation"

Her arm throbbed hotly; maybe her anger had burnt up the painkillers. Their indignation had only been stalled when she had growled-inhumanly; that had shaken Cindy into defending her and their strange family secrets too.

"Edward" the relief of seeing him exhausted her, the dread could finally be placed down she thought but no sooner had the smile twitched on her lips, and Edward had turned around with a solemn gaze that burned that hope.

"Jacob is right" Edward's words were an uppercut, she was depleted; she sat heavily on the edge of her bed.

 _Right_? She deliberated. The angry faces of Jacob and his father, the other big Quileute men… they hazed together over her vision and prickled her eyes. He said nothing more, and in their silence she could make out Cindy finally insisting the men leave… now that her cousin was safely home. Jacob sounded exceptionally anxious but Danielle couldn't make out Cindy's response.

She braved Edward's seriousness "The… vampire… James?"

"He escaped" he turned her lamp on and she jumped at the ghosting movement. The ceiling light was in turn turned off, and he stood opposite her-far away. "How is your arm?" his voice was toneless.

"It healed really fast…" she began but he winced at her words. The silence rang out once more.

"You growled at Jacob" he said eventually.

"Well, Jacob…" she began a spirited defense but he stopped her.

"Things are so complicated"

Outside, the truck the Quileute had come in roared to life… scaring her into a jump. "Sam is taking Jacob's father home" Edward explained.

"Jacob is still here?" she raised an eyebrow.

"He knows I'm here and he suspects a vampire attacked you" Edward sneered. "I suppose there is solace in knowing he at least has doubts of it being _me_ "

"You?!"

"Keep your voice down, he'll hear"

"How?"

"He just will" Edward hushed her "It's still my fault. This could have turned out very differently" his eyes went to her bandaged arm "It _still_ could turn out differently"

"It didn't and that's what matters" Danielle's voice came out small. "Everything will be alright"

"I am going to leave you well alone" Edward closed his eyes. "This is not appropriate. When we take care of James, we will leave you… safe. I apologize for the… inconvenience"

"Inconvenience?!" she guffawed.

"We won't leave until you are safe" he said seriously "But it is for the best, if I stay away from you until we leave"

Xx~xx~xX

"… I was pretty close to his sisters" Cindy was fretting in the kitchen "Rachel especially. His mum and my mum really got along you see, before mum moved…"

It was a few mornings after Danielle's hiking incident, and Cindy had finally braved the dubious subject-only Danielle did not care anymore. Danielle felt cold inside, nights of dread had been keeping her up and today, would be the day she braved Forks High and either that dread would be alleviated or increased; would Edward be at school?

"…after Sarah's death and Billy's paralysis…" Cindy went on, wiping the counter top and avoiding looking at Danielle, pointlessly so, as Danielle stared into nothingness. James red eyes haunted her, bringing back a painful memory of an olive skinned vampire staring at her from across a crowded dance floor, throb-lights flashing. Had that vampire smiled?

She felt that vampire had smiled at her, seductively… _perversely_.

"…Billy was dead set on not getting treated at the hospital, because of Carlisle" Cindy laughed nervously "So silly, you know… so I mean, there was a nurse who had been going to the reservation… and then there was an incident, and well… she wouldn't go anymore. So I went, to make sure Billy was okay and I've been helping out here and there… and one day Jacob was there, really sick and Billy was concerned…"

"I just didn't expect him to be such a racist" Danielle snapped, cutting Cindy's _chattiness_ short. Her cousin pursed her lips tightly, and pushed a plate of bacon and eggs to Danielle.

"There is history there" Cindy barely opened her mouth.

"There is history _everywhere_ "

"Well, it has something to do with the land the Cullens own" Cindy defended "They are not racist"

"Right"

"You should not have been out late!" Cindy countered Danielle's disdain with vim "You could have called me?!" Cindy took in a sharp breath "You know that you get rattled easily, you know how you are Danielle…!"

"How am I?" Danielle rose from the table, the food untouched.

"You sounded like some… _animal_ …!" Cindy spat "In front of everyone? Yelling at Jake, at people who had been looking for you…! Heavens knows what you showed Edward; I work with Carlisle! What will people think and say? I took you in to protect you from Thomas but I don't know what I can do about protecting you from _you_ if you can't or _won't_ rein in that _Nebari_ crazy!"

Danielle had no words. She was rooted to the floor; feeling Cindy's words, and waiting; this would be the moment Cindy would send her back to Thomas. Cindy's mother had taken her away from Thomas to keep her safe and away from the _crazy Nebari._

There was anger in her eyes and a tear fell hot over Danielle's cheek. It rolled down and the anger cooled into despair. Cindy blinked at her "Dani?"

"School" was all Danielle managed.

Xx~xx~xX

The Volvo had been in the car park and as much as she wanted to know that he was still in Forks, still existing in her world, there was the immense possibility that seeing him would cause her to unravel. It was time for P.E, and she had slinked into the school unnoticed.

"…you are very prone to accidents, aren't you?" the nurse smiled derisively, handing her a medicine cup with painkillers.

She would stick it out in the sick room until lunchtime, sort through the white noise of her mind; the barrier between her and her memories. It had grown louder as she pushed to understand what had happened before she had moved in with Thomas as a child…

A child?

 _She remembered Thomas drunk, he had always been paranoid but the drinking had been a new development…? She had been young but not small, trying to protect Cindy; the door was being banged against, Cindy's mother yelling, Thomas yelling… everyone yelling, and the door was being banged…_

" _Open it!" Thomas roared. Cindy was small in her arms. The door banged harder, shivering with each thud and she had pushed Cindy to the side, rushed to the door and banged it right back, roaring. Had it flown of its hinges?_

 _Thomas stood at the other side, staring at her in disbelief. "He'll come for her…"_

Xx~xx~xX

There was no point in being there, after spending her lunch in the girl's toilet in tears; the headache wouldn't let up, the secrets tormented her; who was she? What was she? She left school, heading straight for the hospital.

It felt so unfair; Edward at least knew what he was, had a family that was just like him… and she, Danielle… even back then she had felt it; she had been the anomaly. A danger to Cindy, motherless, fatherless… a white-noise of a past. And there was the rejection she felt; she had put something on the chopping block, and only now did she see what it was; her heart had not been shown any mercy. The loneliness flared like a fever; when had she fallen for him?

 _You can't trust what you feel_ , his words rang in her head as an easy escape-an explanation to the misty eyes and breaking heart, the loneliness but she had arrived to this point and couldn't excuse what she felt away. It was there, heavy and cold.

"Great" she groaned. She saw the blue truck, Jacob Black's truck.

Xx~xx~xX

Danielle found Cindy alone in her office to her surprise.

"I saw the Black's truck…" Danielle began and Cindy gave her a cagey look. The morning 'goodbyes' were still fresh in both their minds, but where Cindy saw an olive branch in Danielle's unannounced appearance, Danielle saw necessity.

 _Desperation_ even…

"Yeah, uhm… Jacob is dropping off samples at the lab" Cindy lowered her gaze, raising her cup of coffee to her lips.

"Right" Danielle deliberated this "Shouldn't his sisters be here, I mean… helping out?"

"Billy wouldn't have it" Cindy sighed "He says he has all the support he needs… you know, from the community and Charlie Swan? I kind of get that… I also get that it takes a toll on Jacob"

"Jacob is just a kid…" Danielle muttered.

"Yeah, he is a kid. _Just_ a kid… but you know, he has always been quite self-sufficient…"

"Still a kid" Danielle breathed. "Even if he looks like, thirty…"  
"Twenty"

"Twenty-five…"

"Fifteen and proud…" Jacob Black's happy voice filtered through Cindy's office, the door shutting close. Danielle and Cindy jumped, never having heard Jacob entering. The coffee Cindy had been drinking spilt over her desk.

"You don't look fifteen" Danielle accused, wheeling around in her seat. She frowned when he sat down next to her and beamed at Cindy.

"You should know…" Jacob smirked "Better than most…" he winked at her "That no one ever looks their _actual_ age"

She caught the quip, but it pricked at her tender mind instead of her heart; Cindy had been smaller than her in her memory. Unless her cousin had a rather drastic growth spurt, or she had been the one who had had the growth spurt…?

"Why are you in here?" Danielle snapped and Jacob had the decency to blush.

"Thanking Cindy" he said quietly, now staring at something far off in Cindy's small office.

"Right" Danielle breathed.

"Uh, I actually have a busy day…" Cindy rose up and in turn Jacob did too. "Jake, you don't mind giving Dani a lift? She cycled…"

Dismissed, Danielle thought. But she looked at the hulking Jacob and thought, maybe she could at least get something out of this; the Quileute themselves, were hiding something too.

"If you have questions, you can always _call_ me Jake" Cindy said carefully "You don't have to _come_ … here"

"I don't mind"

"She is trying to tell you it's not appropriate" Danielle breathed noisily.

"Oh" Jacob managed as they left.

Danielle's mood had transformed drastically from misery to vexed, and next to her, leading the way to the blue truck; Jacob Black was yapping in panic. She half answered most of his worries, wondering how on earth anyone would be concerned with Cindy's jumpy behavior and _boundaries_ in the wake of knowing about vampires.

"…I mean, it wasn't like a directive" he started the loud engine "It wasn't like she was ordering me to _never_ come see her, right?"

"It shouldn't bother you" Danielle sighed. He had hoisted her bike in the back of his truck, and started talking about Isabella in between trying to assess the 'Cindy Situation'. "You have a better chance with Isabella…"

Saying Isabella's name brought back the reminder that she had begged Edward to go to the dance with her. A dark cloud formed over her and she muttered "Or not"

"Are you always this grouchy?" Jacob demanded.

"No" she said automatically but after a beat, and willing herself to wave the dark cloud away she sighed "Look, I'm sorry. I have a lot going on…"

"Hmm" Jacob was frowning now. "So, do you still want to hang out? With my friends and I?"

"Yeah, whatever… sure" she answered without thinking. "Jake? You are kind of stalking Cindy, you know" Danielle said carefully "She is going to be a _little_ freaked out"

His frown deepened, darkened. "Some things we can't help…" he said low "Like when we growl"  
Blindsided, she apologized in a stammer "I am sorry"

"Humans do not growl" Jacob gripped the steering wheel, but his mood lightened. "But I trust Cindy… and she said, there were things about her family that she didn't understand-that she couldn't explain but she would protect you and I will honor that"

"Are there things about your family that you don't understand?" Danielle asked.

"Yeah and no" Jacob said "Not in the way you and Cindy are _so_ alone. It's dangerous… to be _that_ alone. The tribe protects me… it protects everyone"

"From…?" Danielle peeked at him.

"You know _what_ from" he smiled but it didn't reach his eyes. "I wish you wouldn't put your cousin in danger"

"She isn't in any danger"

"At least he has enough decency to stay in the woods now" Jacob laughed meanly. Danielle blinked; Edward was in the woods. She wanted to ask which woods, hers or in general… but thought not to correct Jacob's slip up. "Not the worst tick, I guess…"

"The worst _tick_?" Danielle said slowly.

"Red eyes are always the worst" Jacob pursed his lips momentarily, lost in thought.

"You _all_ know about the Cullens?"

"We thought they had turned you and you growling didn't exactly help matters, especially with Sam but I told him… about everyone having their 'family secrets'. Respecting everyone's secrets keeps the peace in Forks and as long as the Cullens respect that… everything will remain cool"

"And he just believed you" Danielle narrowed her eyes. "Sam"

"Sam and I have a very strong bond" Jacob said bitterly.

"I still can't believe Cindy would just… tell you stuff" Danielle muttered. This pleased Jacob.

"Are you… human, Jake?" she asked carefully. He smiled-half sneering. They had reached his house and outside stood two boys. He reached to open his door, but before he did, he looked at her.

"You growl like a kitten" he said and before the door was opened, he let out a deep menacing rumble from within his chest.

Xx~xx~xX

X

Xx~xx~xX

Jealousy filled the gaps of my misery, my once righteous anger about the Quileute wolves abated; Jacob had not endangered Danielle, he had brought her home safely.

 _Do they hypnotize their victims…_? he thought. We did didn't we? His train of thought fueled my unease.

A sad pleasure filled my chest; could her eyes be scanning through her bedroom window for me? The pleasure was a guilty feeling, soon overwhelmed by pain as Jacob Black, the wolf, took note of Danielle's drawn face.

I hated the similarities I shared with Jacob but it didn't help; we may be here, in the darkness of the forest but he had been in their home early, near Cindy… near Danielle. He had spent the day with her. He could get a little fix to his craving and I… I had sworn to my family that I would leave her be. Self-hatred wheedled in every fiber of my being; it was bitter in my mouth with the jealousy; Jacob had not put Cindy in danger, Jacob had lightened Danielle's mood, Danielle had willingly eaten her meal tonight…

I would crumble after the curdling of my own resentment to myself was done. I had never thought I could feel so utterly alone. Duty to family, duty to her… I would die from pulling myself apart like this.

 _What sort of leech are you…?_ Jacob thought to himself. He had grown accustomed to my presence, long gone were the days of growls and threats. Instead, he lay conflicted in the shadows; I looked like I was tortured and he related to this. So close. So far.

Danielle opened her bedroom window wide and leaned dangerously forward. Her eyes were still searching, her mouth pursed; it was me she was looking for? But the determination confused me. I wanted to know what she thought, and then it hit me; was she afraid James could be in the trees just as much as I could have been? Didn't she believe I would keep my word?

Profound emotions ran hot and cold.

"You told her about my being in the woods!" I accused. I knew he would, a part of me had been waiting patiently for the day. Still selfish, as Rosalie had put it.

He scoffed. He didn't care about my wants or requests. Danielle needed to know, as far as he was concerned, that I was pathetic. At first he had thought I had simply wanted to possess her, thwarted by some force from converting her to our coven but now… I was a pathetic boy who had caused her pain and didn't know what to do about it.

On days I wasn't a vampire that smelt badly to Jacob, that is.

"It was not your place to tell her" I said. I didn't add the part that it was good of her to know I would be here, protecting her until she was safe. It was good of her to see how pathetic a vampire was, could be. I mused but my musings were cut short as she placed a dainty bare foot on the windowsill, hands on the frame and dark eyes determined.

I moved forward and Jacob rose from the ground. _Suicide,_ was his thought and I burnt all over again; had she been that sad? No, not to that point… not her.

"No" I said after a beat. I took another step forward. I pushed into her mind and her mind pushed back; white noise filled the quiet I had left it in and in between the grating images and wordless laughter of Jacob and her… Jacob and his friends… cliff diving… the wolves behaving so obviously _not_ human…

I was shut out by an ache after a moment, and her eyes searched the woods once more, narrowed. She had hoisted herself fully, awkwardly and both Jacob and I were holding our breaths; a test? No, possibly…

I pushed again, the ache was profound "She thinks she is more than human thanks to you!" I growled. I was shut out again but not before I heard her mental countdown… _1….2…._ and as she flung into the night, I caught her easily in my hard arms.

Jacob slunk back, deeper into the woods, bound by laws that even I couldn't quite comprehend.

The surprise on her face disarmed me. I placed her down as though she burnt and she wobbled but never fell over.

"Insanity!" I hissed at her. She ignored me and braced herself on her knees, looking back up to her bedroom window.

"I could've done it"

"You could've done it!?" I was fuming "The only thing you would have _done_ is _died_!"

She straightened, facing me but never looking at me. The wind moved between us. Cindy had sensed the movement and was walking through the passage to check on Danielle… and Jacob, sensing Cindy, had opted to revert to human form. Jacob walked leisurely out from the woods and gave Danielle a dubious look which she had the good sense to return with a sheepish smile.

"Hey Cindy" Jacob waved up at Danielle's window. I didn't need to look up, I knew she was there looking down at us; wondering and trying to see through the dark. She opted to storm down and meet us… she had not yet seen that the third figure had been me.

"She thinks you were sneaking off with Jacob" I told Danielle.

"You okay Danielle?" Jacob asked, genuinely concerned aside from his excitement at Cindy's emergence. This aggravated me as much as his thoughts that Danielle being around me had driven her insane.

"Jacob…" Cindy finally emerged "What is going on!?"

"She was not sneaking out…" I couldn't help it but Cindy's train of thought provoked me. I frowned hard, and spat out "To be with…. _Jacob_ "

"I was" Danielle lied fluidly.

Jacob and I looked at her in different shocks. "Jacob was taking me to a bonfire…" Danielle continued her lie and while I wondered if she was saying this to hide from further explanation or hurt me further than I had hurt both of us; Jacob blew her cover convulsively.

"She jumped out the window to see if she could" he said automatically. "Edward said so"

Silence. The wind. Cindy's shock was not of the normal kind; she _believed_ Jacob and now she was suspicious of both Jacob and I…

 _What has she told them what has she shown them what the hell…_

"Jacob took her cliff diving" I said smoothly, enough infliction in my tone to lead Cindy to her own already formulating conclusions. She knew her cousin was not normal, it seemed… and further still, had not been normal _ever_.

"She only watched!" Jacob whined.

"Idiots" Cindy snapped "Get inside, its cold…" she gave me a brusque look "Danielle, you are in pajamas, you were not going to any bonfire. And you… maybe you can take this time to resolve things with my cousin?"

Xx~xx~xX

"Don't do that again" I said as soon as she had shut the bedroom door "One day, I won't be there"

"Your being there wasn't the reason I did it" she snapped "You don't need to be standing around in the forest"

"That mutt shouldn't have told you I was there"

"Racism is a strange color on you" she says harshly.

I am taken aback. I look at her, _her_ … who is so different from me in every way and the feelings that well up in me are so intense and rooted to a core; a core that was the opposite of _hate_.

Down below, Jacob and Cindy were talking; Cindy already mapping their conversation from her being grateful for his friendship with Danielle, Billy Black and taking him home. Jacob was busy trying to assure her that he was, indeed, _just_ friends with Danielle.

"Go home!" Danielle hissed, climbing into bed crudely. I shut her window and stood by it in silence. "Go to the woods. Go wherever it is vampires go when they are done _playing_ with little _human_ girls!"

The pain pricked and a tirade of words lodged in my throat but all I could manage to say was "It was not Jacob's place to tell you I was in the forest"

"It's not your place to be in the forest in the first place" her voice quivered; anger maybe, but I was tired of being so cowardly. Even Cindy thought I had played with her, done with her once I had gotten in trouble for going hiking…

I faced her but I couldn't look at her. Cindy had finally offered to take Jacob home and Jacob had decided if I was willing to protect Danielle, I was willing to protect Cindy; he would sleep in his bed tonight. Cindy on the other hand, brewed with anger towards me; I would find my own way home.

Danielle's eyes burned on my face. "I said I would make sure you are safe. I meant it Dani…"

She threw the covers off of her and got out of bed. Could she tell Cindy and Jacob had left the house? No, she didn't care about all of that.

I looked at her then and saw the anger and pain, "Why catch me Edward?"

"All your guilt and your family's secrets would have been saved if you had not caught me!" she hissed, stalking me.

The pain and pleasure of being in her presence was almost unbearable; I looked back to the window, my instincts willing me to escape… everything about this was dangerous, but the danger was exquisite; as though running would only delay it because eventually it would crown me, crucify me… resurrect me to her.

"Cindy has taken Jacob home" I said another safe trivial thing and she shook her head, gave what I said as much attention as I gave the voice in my head telling me to back away from her every step.

"I am not good for you in _any_ way!" I braved.

She was in front of me, chai spice.

"I can't make you stay" she closed her eyes for a moment and then opened them, fully on my face and I couldn't _not_ look into them "I never thought or pretended that I could"

She took another step. Too close, no air between us "If you must leave, then you will"

I knew what was coming and in a voice that felt foreign to me I told her " _That_ won't make me stay. I _will_ leave"

"Then this is goodbye" she rocked forward, leaned up on her toes and gripped my hair. Her lips were on mine, not tentative and not angry; hot and warm. Her kiss was light and as the thought to hold her and do more flashed over my mind, she had leaned away and taken several steps back. She turned around and made her way to her bed, got into it carefully and pulled the covers up.

She closed her eyes, as if I had ceased to exist in the middle of her room and she lay in her bed forever; for a moment, before whispering "A stupid kiss from a silly human girl can't ever make a vampire do what he doesn't want to"

I looked at the window and the thought to leave, as veracious as it was in the eyes of any immortal; it felt like the worst sort of condemnation to my existence; to leave and be further from her, to go to a place where she wasn't.

"I'll wait for Cindy to return"


End file.
